Of Ninjas and Assassins
by Reptar-On-Rice
Summary: Human males could not use chakra. That was the rule. Well, until now that is. Born as the second male chakra wielder, Naruto discovers that he is a descendant of a clan once feared for their skills and abilities. Learning their ways, Naruto decides to continue his clan's work and restore the Uzumakis to their former glory. (Genderbender Story. Harem. Large Crossover.)
1. Enter Grandma and Grandma?

**Of Ninjas and Assassins**

Info: This Fanfiction will contain many tid-bits of multiple works of anime, manga, video games, movies and such. It is rated M due to violence, language, adult situations and references, with the possibility of lemon and lime. Please be aware that I do not own anything that is used in this story, except that of any Original Characters that I create. This is simply a work of fiction of a world I created from my own imagination. If I owned even a single thing in this story, I'd be so loaded that Donald Trump would be jealous. Ah, a man can dream.

Character Info: Character personalities and traits will be changed or things will be added to how I view the characters would be in this story. Not everything will be complete different, but some things might be taken out or added in here and there. Another tid-bit of info for you all, this is a genderbender fanfic. Meaning all notable male characters will be female in a world where Kunoichi rule. There are some very good fics out there but not many are completed. I hope this work will be one I can see to the end for not just myself but anyone who reads it.

 **Author's Note: This is going to be my first work of Fanfiction. I was originally a spoken word poet that performed all throughout my senior year of high school as well as the first few years of college. After re-discovering writing through Fanfiction, I decided to give it a shot and see how it would work. So, as this being my first work, please don't hesitate to leave constructive criticism of any kind as well as your reviews and thoughts or ideas you think should be added to the story. Updates for the chapters will be weekly, unless my schedule would prevent otherwise. With all that said, please enjoy and I'll catch you later.**

 **-Twix671**

 **Of Ninjas and Assassins**

Chapter 1: Enter Grandma And… Grandma?

 _ **Time: 11:00 P.M  
Location: Hokage's Office, Konoha  
Date: October 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **– One day following the attack of Kyuubi no Yoko**_

Hitomi Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, breathed a sigh of sadness as she gazed over the smoldering destruction of her beloved home that was Konoha. Removing her hat, revealing her long white hair put into a single bun, she wiped the stray tears from her eyes after recalling all those lost in the attack of Kyuubi no Yoko, one of the nine tailed beasts created by the Sage of Six Paths. Among the many losses was Hitomi's wife, Biwako but also two kunoichi she considered her own children, Minako Namikaze and her wife Kushina Uzumaki. Sitting down in her chair behind her desk, Hitomi took in a breath to recollect herself before she broke down crying for what would be a third time that day. Losing so many she considered close to her was taking a toll on the aged Hokage, but she knew that it wasn't time for mourning the lost. She had a village to lead once more, but more importantly, she had to face telling her former students Tsunade and Miraiya that their daughter and daughter-in-law had died sealing Kyuubi into their grandson, Naruto. Knowing all that Tsunade had lost, Hitomi knew that it wasn't going to be easy to hold in her tears for another pair of kunoichi that she considered her children, but she had to be strong enough to get through informing the pair when they arrived. They had received news of the attack while they were away on vacation and were informed to rush back as soon as they could.

' _They should be arriving tonight.'_ Thought Hitomi. As soon as he thought ended however, her door swung open, revealing a crying Tsunade and Miraiya. _'And, here we go…'_

"Sensei," Tsunade yelled frantically as she ran over and grabbed the woman she thought of as a mother figure by her robes. "Tell me what I heard isn't true. Tell me they aren't dead!" Tsunade had already lost a sister and her first lover in her life. After finally opening her heart to let others in once more, she couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone again, especially the daughter she finally reconnected with.

"Tsunade…" Hitomi began, before she was interrupted by Tsunade's yelling.

"PLEASE!" Cried out the blonde Sannin. "Tell me it isn't true!" Miraiya stood behind her wife, with her hands on Tsunade's shoulders.

Taking in a deep breath, Hitomi knew that all attempts of trying to keep herself together were failing. Standing before her, was her student, clutching onto her robes like she was a drowning man at sea desperately holding onto a life reserve to stay afloat. Moving her arms to encircle her daughter figure, Hitomi spoke with a voice cracking like someone walking on glass. "I'm sorry, my dear."

It was in that moment the Goddess of Kunoichi felt Tsunade's heart breaking. The grief of a mother who lost her child is the most intense grief known. It is well known that when a child dies, a parent feels that a part of them died with their child. And once the realization that she did indeed lose the child she fought so hard to reconnect with after her mistake of leaving her alone in this cruel world, it was as if the walls holding Tsunade's tears came crashing down. Her grip on Hitomi's robes tightened like a vice as her face crashed onto her mother figure's chest. It was painful to see one of the most powerful women in the world reduced what could only be described as a broken woman. All that Hitomi and Miraiya could do was embrace her and let the waves of tears that all three women in the room come crashing down onto the floor below. Tsunade's pain however, was not just to her own. The loss came down to both Hitomi and Miraiya as they too felt the gravity of the situation. Their lungs were desperately grasping at any breath they could take. Their bodies were shaking as if there was an earthquake and the sobs tore through their bones, muscles, and skin. Many would claim that the crying of the women in the room could be heard throughout the Elemental Nations. Such was the depth of their loss.

However, one more individual within the room would be sharing in the act of weeping. By the wall next to a bookcase was a crib. Inside was a little bundle of joy that Kushina brought into the world before her untimely death. It was our hero, Naruto Uzumaki. Initially sleeping the night away, he was awoken about several minutes after the three kunoichi began weeping their sorrows. Naruto began wailing, interrupted from one of Kami's gifts to babies, sleep. Broken from their sobbing, Miraiya spoke, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Sensei, who's child is that?"

Smiling, she spoke. "That my dears, is the silver lining in the wake of all our losses."

Tsunade, still holding onto her sensei for dear life, turned her head to the crib, spoke through her sobbing. "How could one child be the answer to this pain, sensei?"

Moving her hand up and down on Tsunade's back like a mother would comfort her child, Hitomi spoke with her smile not leaving her face. "Because, that would be your grandson."

Turning their heads faster than many would be able to track, wife and, well wife silently asked. "What?"

Nodding her head to their question, the aged Hokage spoke. "That's right. Before her death, Kushina managed to give birth to your little grandson there. Would you like to meet him?"

Finally letting go of her sensei, Tsunade stepped back with Miraiya still holding onto her shoulders. They had thought that when Minako and Kushina died, their future grandchild died as well. Hearing that their grandchild did indeed survive brought back a little piece of their heart that was lost from the deaths of their daughter and daughter-in-law.

Walking over to the crib, Hitomi gently picked up Naruto and held him close as she shushed him while he cried. In a whisper so gentle that would make a feather feel like sandpaper, she spoke. "Hush now, little one. There are two very important people here to see you." She walked over slowly back towards her students with Naruto's crying began to die down as she gently rocked the little bundle of joy.

With her hands in covering her mouth, Tsunade gasped at the beauty that was her grandchild while Miraiya smiled widely with tears of joy threatening to spill from their eyes. What they saw was a little baby boy with hair as blonde as their daughter's and eyes so blue that would make the sky look pale. What finally let their tears of joy come out was when Naruto smiled and laughed when he saw them. He didn't know who they were just yet, but just like the older lady that held him, he liked them very much. They all felt familiar, like he heard them before.

Tsunade cried softly, feeling Miraiya's grip on her shoulders tighten as Tsunade reached out to Hitomi, wanting to hold the child. Agreeing, Hitomi gently handed Naruto over. Cradling the child, Tsunade felt the shock of her most recent loss begin to fade. The pain was still there, but there was an equal joy to keep her steady in the form of the glowing sight that was her grandson. It seemed even after the worst had come to pass, there indeed was a silver lining in it all. Just his smile and giggling seemed to filling the hollowness in her heart that formed after all she had lost in this world. Miraiya helped fill in some pieces when they came to terms with their love for each other and decided to finally be together and it would seem that this little baby would also play a part in filling in the rest.

"Hello, little one." Tsunade spoke softly as she held the baby close to her chest. "Welcome to the world. We're your grandparents."

Letting one of her hands go from her wife's shoulders, Miraiya gently stroked her grandson's hair. "He's beautiful, hime," Miraiya said to Tsunade. Looking up to her teacher, she asked, "What's his name?"

Chuckling warmly, Hitomi replied. "His name is Naruto. If I recall, that is the name of the hero of your first book right?"

With a quiet laugh, the Toad Sannin spoke. "Yeah, but it didn't do too well as my other books. It seems Minako enjoyed it though."

Walking back to her desk, Hitomi opened the top right drawer pulled out her copy of 'Tale of the Gutsy Ninja' the very book that was being discussed. "We both have, my dear. It really is quite a read. As good as your current literature might I dare say."

"You up to date, sensei?" Miraiya asked with a smirk as she walked over to the desk, knowing full well that her sensei was a big fan of her perverted literature, always asking for an update on the latest title.

Scoffing, Tsunade spoke looking at both Miraiya and her teacher. "You both are disgusting." Turning her attention to Naruto, she gently stroked his cheek and said, "Don't worry, Naru-chan. I'll make sure you don't grow up to be perverts like these two."

Laughing, Miraiya replied. "As if, hime! He's got my genes in him. The genes of a super pervert!"

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade continued speaking to Naruto. "I married an idiot Naru-chan."

Moving behind her, Miraiya embraced Tsunade from behind with her arms encircling her waist. Kissing the back of her head, she spoke. "True. But I'm your idiot." Looking down at Naruto again, she smiled. That is, until she noticed markings on Naruto's stomach that was revealed while Tsunade was rocking their grandson. Moving swiftly, she gently uncovered the blanket around Naruto, revealing a seal on his stomach. Upon seeing the complex seal, Tsunade and Miraiya gasped in surprise. Turning to their sensei, Miraiya questioned. "Sensei, why does my grandson have a seal on his stomach?"

Sighing, as the recently turned light mood turned dark as night sky outside her office, Hitomi spoke. "Because Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed within him."

To say that Naruto's grandparents were shocked would be the world's greatest understatement. This little child, not even a week old, carried one of the most powerful tailed beasts in all of existence? Questions flooded their minds as to how such a thing could possibly happen, why did it happen in the first place, and most importantly, who was responsible for the many deaths in the village, including that of Kushina and Minako.

Sitting down on the chairs opposite from Hitomi's desk, Miraiya spoke first after recomposing herself. "From the beginning, sensei. What happened?"

Sitting down on her chair, the Third began. "As you know, the Nine-Tailed Beast known as Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the village. What you don't know was how it got out."

Nodding in understanding, both Tsunade and Miraiya motioned for their sensei to continue.

"I had made special arraignments for Minako to preserve Kushina's seal, which as you both were aware, held the Kyuubi within Kushina. The seal was severely weakened after Kushina gave birth to Naruto, and as Minako was about to re-strengthen the seal, a masked kunoichi tracked their location and arrived. It was a remote location, with Kushina's midwives and a few Anbu guards there. The kunoichi proceeded to kill the Anbu guards and the midwives, with my Biwako sadly a victim of the slaughter…" Hitomi spoke softly at the end, tears once more threatening to spill.

"Oh, sensei…" Tsunade spoke softly as she held Naruto closer to her. Miraiya dropped her head down in sadness. Despite Biwako's constant hounding at her for her perversions, both Miraiya and Biwako viewed each other as mother and daughter. Hearing of the loss weighed heavily on her.

Wiping her stray tears, Hitomi replied. "I'll be okay, Tsunade. Just give me a moment." After composing herself again, she continued. "After the killings, the kunoichi captured Naruto, forcing Minako to rescue him and teleport him to a safe house with her Hiraishin no Jutsu. However, with Minako gone, the kunoichi captured Kushina and released the Nine-Tales from her, and used it to destroy the village."

"But how is that possible sensei? No one alive could possibly be able to control a tailed beast." Tsunade questioned.

"Minako informed me that the kunoichi had a Sharingan." Revealed Hitomi. At this, the room fell silent, except for the still cooing Naruto. The Sharingan was a powerful dojutsu kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan. With it, a user could see one's chakra flow, grant incredible clarity of perception, copy almost any seen jutsu, but most notably was to be able to place anyone under a Genjutsu, an illusion technique that will hypnotize it's victims, causing hallucinations or if strong enough, be able to control the individual. With this revelation, it was clear that the kunoichi used her Sharingan to place the Kyuubi under a genjutsu and ordered it to attack the village.

"That would make senese. Kushina informed me that she and the Nine-Tales were indeed friends after all. It wouldn't make sense for it to attack the village if there wasn't a reason. But the only one that was able to use the Sharingan to such an effect was…" Miraiya cut herself off, realizing who was behind the attack. "Sensei, do you mean to tell me?"

Nodding, Hitomi replied. "If you're thinking of who I believe you are Miraiya, you would be correct."

Confused, Tsunade interjected. "Wait, who are you talking about?"

Hitomi turned to face Tsunade. "The one responsible for the attack was Madari Uchiha."

"What!?" Tsunade questioned. "How is that possible!? Madari Uchiha was defeated by my grandmother!"

"Apparently not, as Minako informed me that the kunoichi claimed herself to be Madari Uchiha as they fought." Hitomi replied.

After a few moments of tense silence, Miraiya asked the question that was on her's and Tsunade's mind at the revelation that it was Madari Uchiha responsible for the Kyuubi's attack. "Did Madari killing the both?"

Shaking her head, Hitomi continued her retelling of the events. "No. Minako saved Kushina from Madari's grasp and left Naruto in her care at one of her safehouses before leaving to protect the village. Eventually, she was able to drive off Madari."

At that, Tsunade and Miraiya smiled sadly. For their daughter to be able to drive off one of the most powerful kunoichi in the world would be something any parent would be proud of. "So," Tsunade began. "What happened next?"

Looking at Naruto, Hitomi frowned. "After defeating Madari and informing me of the situation, Minako returned to Naruto and Kushina's location."

"They wanted to seal Kyuubi back into her." Miraiya spoke out.

"Correct," Hitomi responded. "However, Minako believed that the Nine-Tales' power would be needed to face Madari in the future. So she decided to seal Kyuubi into Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal."

"Why Naruto!?" Tsunade cried out. "How could Minako turn her own child into a weapon for this village?"

Hitomi responded. "The sealing required a newborn to seal the Kyuubi. It wouldn't be possible for an adult with fully formed chakra coils to take in the Kyuubi's chakra should it be sealed in them. It would be like pouring a pitcher of water into a tea cup. If it were sealed into a newborn child, the Kyuubi's chakra would be integrated into the child's coils, allowing it to grow to the extent that it would house not only its own chakra, but also the Kyuubi's."

"But, why did it have to be Naruto?" Tsunade questioned once again.

Smiling sadly, Hitomi replied. "Even if there was another child born that night, do you really think Minako would ask any parent to give up their child to carry a heavy burden? She loved this village and its people, almost as much as she loved her family. She couldn't do that to anyone if she couldn't do it to her own son."

With that, Tsunade's cries were silenced. She was right. Her daughter had that much of a kind soul. After all, she forgave her for leaving her all alone.

"But," Miraiya asked. "How did Minako and Kushina die, if Kyuubi was successfully sealed into Naruto?"

"Because they Kyuubi killed them both." Hitomi revealed, much to the shock of Miraiya and Tsunade. "After battling Madari, Minako and Kushina fought against the Kyuubi with many of the Konoha kunoichi. While many lives were lost, they were finally able to trap the Kyuubi with Kushina's sealing chains. While still under the Genjutsu and using the last of its strength, the Nine-Tales tried to kill Naruto, forcing Mianko and Kushina to use their bodies as a shield to protect him. I had arrived just in time to watch the Kyuubi's claws stab through both Minako and Kushina from the other side of Kushina's barrier." She was tearing, remembering the horrible sight of watching two people she cared deeply for, being killed.

Miraiya leaned over to hold Tsunade while they were both crying, finally knowing the circumstances of their deaths. As tears silently fell from her face, Hitomi continued. "Minako had enough time to inform me of what happened, and told me of the letters she and Kushina wrote long before Naruto was born should they die in any combat circumstance before they could raise Naruto, knowing the dangers of this world. She also gave the key to the seal to Gerotora and sent him back to Mt. Myoboku." Standing up and walking over towards Naruto, she kneeled down and began to caress his cheek, much to Naruto's delight of the feeling. Smiling, she continued. "Before they died, they had their final words with Naruto. Words I'll never forget."

 **FLASHBACK NO JUTSU –**

 _Hitomi watched with a few remaining Konoha kunoichi at her side as she saw Kushina and Minako speaking to Naruto. Tears falling down their faces as they saw the loving parents share their final words with their child that they would never be able to raise. The barrier used to surround the clearing dropped as soon as the Kyuubi laid unconscious from her battling with Minako and Kushina._

" _Kushina, I'm almost out of time. It's time for the Eight Trigram Seal." Minako spoke. She looked down at Naruto and smiled. "I want to put some of my chakra into Naruto as well. It'll be a while before we see him, so say what you want to say."_

 _Kushina smiled at her son. "Naruto… Don't be picky about your food. Eat lots so you can grow big. Take a bath every day, and stay warm. And don't stay up late at night, you'll need your sleep." Taking a breath, as her wounds were starting to affect her, she continued. "Make friends. You don't need a lot. Just a few that you can really trust! You may be a boy, and boys can't use chakra like your mother and I can. But I have a feeling that you'll be special. So, whether or not you go to a normal school or ninja school, do your best, even if I'm not one to talk. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, so don't feel down if you aren't good at something. Respect your teachers, kunoichi or not and also those who are your seniors. Oh, and don't forget the three shinobi vices: Be especially careful when lending or borrowing money. Make sure to save the money you earn. Don't drink alcohol until you're twenty. Drinking too much is bad for your health, so do so moderately. And as for women… Well, I'm a woman myself, so I don't much about this, but there are only men and women in this world, so it's okay if you become interested in a woman. Not to say you can't go after a man if that's your interest. I promise your mother and I won't judge. After all, many kunoichi aren't exactly normal couples."_

 _With this, all present had a chuckle despite the sadness of situation. Smiling, as tears began to flow freely from her eyes, Kushina continued on with her motherly rant. "Just promise me, man or woman, you won't go after a bad one. Find someone just like your mothers. Speaking of vices, watch out for Miraiya-sensei, ya know!" Breathing heavily, she kept pushing on, despite the pain she was feeling. All the while; however, Minako was smiling at her wife's ranting on. She knew of the love she had for her son and didn't want to but in. "Naruto, you will face a lot of pain and suffering in your life. Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams… And believe that your dreams will come true! There are so many more things I want to share with you. I wish I could stay with you longer, but know that I love you, so very much." Turning to her wife, Kushina spoke. "I'm sorry Minako, I spoke for too long."_

 _Shaking her head, Minako responded. "No need to worry." Turning to her son, she decided it was her turn to give her motherly advice.. "Naruto, as the father in this weird family, which I have to say is weird that two women made a baby, which doesn't seem physically possible… But, I digress and you'll learn about how it worked later on in life. For now, my advice… is everything your chatty mother just said. And I love you too." Closing her eyes, she spoke her last words. "Hakke Fuuin…" (Eight Trigrams Seal)_

 _A flash of bright white light lit up the field Minako and Kushina were in. As it grew brighter, Hitomi and her remaining kunoichi turned away to protect their eyes from the light. As the light faded, Hitomi and her kunoichi rushed over. Helping Kushina up, the kunoichi called out to her. "Lady Kushina…"_

 _Hitomi walked over and gently picked up Naruto, holding him close to her chest. Calling out to the kunoichi attending to Kushina, she barked her orders. "Take her to the hospital right away. Summon the medical unit at once."_

 _Opening her eyes, Kushina locked on to Hitomi and Naruto. "Please Lady Third." she spoke weakly._

 _Walking over, Hitomi knelt down in front of her. "Kushina…"_

" _I beg you," she pleaded. "Please take care of our baby…"_

" _Yes, of course." The battle hardened kunoichi replied. "You don't need to worry about that. So, Naruto, huh?" She asked with a smile._

 _Returning it in full, she answered. "Yes. Minako and I, together, we both picked that name out of the pages of Miraiya-sensei's novel."_

" _All right. But for the sake of your child, you must rest." Hitomi spoke as she looked down at Naruto with a smile. Looking back up however, her smile faded as she saw die in the arms of the kunoichi tending to her._

 _The two kunoichi attending to Minako and Kushina bowed their heads in respect, with Hitomi doing the same. "Don't worry Kushina. I promise to take care of him. You have my word."_

 **KAI! (End of FLASHBACK NO JUTSU) –**

"After that, I swore the two kunoichi into secrecy. Should any information regarding Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki be made known, it would be because they have spoken it and thus I would call for their deaths." Hitomi spoke from her desk. During her retelling of Minako and Kushina's final moments, she returned to her desk and sat down, feeling the weight of having to retell such a painful memory. All eyes in the room looked down at Naruto.

"Not even a week old," Tsunade began. "And already you have the weight of the world on your shoulders." For what seemed like the millionth time that very night more tears spilled from her eyes as Naruto cooed.

"So," Miraiya asked. "What happens now, sensei? Do you inform the council about this?"

"Are you mad!?" Tsunade questioned. "If they were to find out that Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed within him, the civilian council would call for his head! Even worse, Danza, that old war hawk, would try and claim Naruto as the village's weapon!"

"She's right, Miraiya." Hitomi responded. "However, we can't claim Naruto as their son either, just yet."

"And why not!?" Miraiya questioned angrily. "He's their son by birth!"

"I understand," Hitomi replied. "But you need to understand the bigger picture. If word got out to the other elemental nations that the Fourth Hokage had a son, nation after nation would attempt to take him and use him as breeding stock for their kunoichi, giving birth to powerful kunoichi to add to their forces. That's not even the worst case."

"What could be worse than that?" Tsunade questioned.

"Assassination." Miraiya replied solemnly, coming to the realization of what would happen if info on Naruto got out. "Think about it, Tsu-hime. Naruto would be a prime target for nations like Iwa to exact revenge on the village that utterly decimated them during the war. What better way to take that revenge than to kill the only living heir to the Namikaze name, boy or girl?"

Nodding in understanding, Tsunade turned to her sensei. "So, what do we do?"

Taking a few moments to think, the Third responded. "For now, we keep Naruto's heritage and status as a Jinchuriki as a Triple-S rank secret. This room is covered has been swept for bugs by my personal Anbu before I sent them out. It's also covered with privacy seals, to keep all this just between the three of us. I assume you'll be raising him then?"

"Of course!" Both responded faster than one could blink. Tsunade especially before she spoke out. "I already made the mistake of not raising my child once. I'll be damned if I do it again to my grandson." Miraiya nodded in agreement.

"Then if that's the case," Hitomi began. "We'll need to monitor him."

"But, why sensei?" Tsunade asked. "We all know that Minako was a seal master just as good if not better than Kushina and my pervert of a wife."

"Hey! It's super pervert!" Miraiya exclaimed.

Ignoring her 'super' pervert of a wife, Tsunade continued questioning. "Why would we need to monitor Naruto if we know the seal won't break?"

"I'm not saying that I'm questioning Minako's sealing capabilities," Hitomi replied. "But I'm questioning of what is going on in Naruto."

"Huh?" Both Tsunade and Miraiya tilted their heads in confusion.

Chuckling softly, the Goddess of Kunoichi thought to herself. _'Still cute when they do that. Makes me want to pinch their cheeks.'_ She shook herself from her thoughts when she responded to their confusion. "You have to remember that Naruto was born from two kunoichi with ridiculously high chakra reserves. True, he may be a boy, but he has a Tailed Beast sealed within him. Not to mention the seal Minako used would allow for the beasts' chakra to meld with Naruto's. Because of that, his coils may develop enough to where Naruto would not only be the first male Jinchuriki but also the first male to possibly wield chakra."

With that revelation, both Tsunade's and Miraiya's eyes went wide as dinner plates. Their sensei was right. It was physically impossible for males to wield chakra. The only make that could was the Sage of Six Paths. While men had chakra, they weren't actually able to use it in a way women could. With enough training, men could tree climb and water walk, but that was usually the limitations as chakra coils in men were never fully developed as women's were. But being born from two parents with ungodly amounts of reserves coupled with a tailed beast assisting in his growth, the possibility truly was there.

Tsunade was opening and closing her mouth, trying to form words. "Well," Miraiya said. "I don't know what to say…"

"I know." Said Hitomi. "I was thinking about it this morning as I was feeding Naruto his formula."

"The first male chakra user since the Sage of Six Paths." Tsunade finally got out. "Looking down at Naruto, she smiled. "You really are special, aren't you Naru-chan?" Tsunade used a finger to lightly poke Naruto's nose in a playful way, getting a giggle from the possible chakra user.

"So," Hitomi spoke out. "Since you'll be raising Naruto-kun, I'm guessing you'll take the Senju compound?"

"Yes sensei," The blond Sannin replied.

"Then I'll have it cleaned out first thing tomorrow so you can move in." The Goddess of Kunoichi replied.

"Thank you sensei." Both of the Sannin replied.

With that, idle chatter commenced between the three for a few more minutes before all decided to turn in for the night, with Tsunade and Miraiya taking Naruto with them to the hotel they had Shizune check into before they headed to the Hokage Tower. On their separate ways home, each of the three kunoichi were thinking of the possible ways to help Naruto grow over the years. However, unknown to them, a fourth party inside of Naruto's stomach was also planning.

Deep within Naruto's mindscape someone was plotting. Inside of his mind looked like the basement of an industrial complex. There was a large red gate that went from floor to ceiling with a paper tag that read seal on the front. The ground was covered in water with pipes running along the walls. Behind the gate however, was a woman in a Royal blue dress that barely held her breasts in with short puffy sleeves with a sideless skirt with the Uzumaki swirl in white underneath and white trim. She had matching arm-guards, shin-guards, gold wristbands, white stockings, belt and a wakizashi sword with decorative red tassels tied to the back of the belt. She looked around the age of 19, with the height of around 5' 2" to 5' 3". She had copper orange hair that was tied back. She was kneeling down on the floor, wiping the tears that came from her eyes. Sighing, she thought to herself. _'I'm so sorry, Kushi-chan. I never meant for any of this."_

Standing up, she moved herself to the wall and sat down as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged it tight. Resting her head against her knees, she had one final thought before she drifted to sleep. _'Kushi-chan, Mina-chan. I'll take care of him and teach him how to survive. I can't wait to meet him. I just hope he doesn't hate me.'_

 **End of Chapter 1**

*Note: Yes. Kurama is a female. Like I said, genderbent characters. And yes. Kyuubi's human form is Kasumi from DoA (Dead or Alive). Like I said, characters and such are going to appear from other works. If you caught the RvB (Red Vs Blue) line, let me know. But it should be obvious to the longtime fans like me. Please let me know what you think. I'm not afraid to hear constructive criticism. Next chapter will be about Naruto's life as he grows up and the people that he'll meet. Spoliers, they're all future harem members. And no, I am not going to add Fem Jiraiya and Tsunade into the harem. They're his grandparents for god's sake. However, that's not to say there won't be a possible Uzumaki member joining in our hero's family. (*Cough* Karin *Cough*). Anyways, expect an update by next week, if not sooner. I've already got Chapter 2 being worked on as well as the next few chapters. For now though, signing off!

\- Twix671


	2. Change of Plans

**Of Ninjas and Assassins**

Chapter 2: Change of Plans

 _ **Time: 8:00 A.M  
Location: The Cherry Blossom Inn, Konoha  
Date: October 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Two days following the attack of Kyuubi no Yoko**_

Shizune woke up as the sun was beaming down on her. Sitting up, she leaned back against the headboard of her bed and proceeded to wipe away the sleep from her eyes. Waking up this early in the morning was common, especially having a teacher like Lady Tsunade. Many times, they would have to wake up early so they could skip the town after doubling her gambling debts when she was supposed to be dropping them down. It got a little better after Tsunade married Lady Miraiya, but in exchange for waking up early, she would have the displeasure of seeing a naked Tsunade and Miraiya in bed when she would walk in to wake both of them up. It was out of habit. Usually due to how drunk Tsunade got the night before, she would have to be roused up by Shizune herself to get up and start their day. After Tsunade got married to Miraiya, she would walk in and see the uncovered pair recovering from their night of debauchery that she thankfully didn't hear due to privacy seals. Sadly however, there came a few moments were she walked in while they were still doing the deed. It was one thing hearing about how two women have sex with a jutsu that transformed a woman's clitoris into a penis, but it was another seeing it actually happen before you. Shizune had to have her own drunken nights to forget those images.

Shaking herself from her thoughts with a shudder, Shizune threw the covers off of herself and proceeded to the bathroom. After washing her face, brushing her teeth and fixing up her short black hair, she nodded to herself when she believed she looked presentable. After all, you never know when a man or woman would catch your fancy and you would want to look presentable if you do decide to pursue them. Walking out to wake up her Sensei and her wife, Shizune believed it to be another normal day. Well, despite the fact that the village they were currently staying in was partly destroyed by a tailed beast. Yup, just a normal day.

Opening the door to walk outside into the living room, she saw her Sensei sitting on the couch with her back facing while Lady Miraiya was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. _'Well,'_ she thought. _'At least I don't have to wake her up today.'_ Moving to sit on the couch across from her master, she moved around her master and greeted her. "Good morning, Lady Tsuna-." Cutting herself off, she saw something that she truly wasn't expecting. On the couch across from her was indeed her master, but it was quite a revealing sight. Tsunade had the left side of her sleeping kimono opened with her bra off. Her blonde hair was following down, covering her shoulders.

That; however, wasn't the main cause for Shizune's surprise. Being cradled in Tsunade's arms was a baby Shizune had never seen before. And it was nursing out of her master's left breast? Since when was she able to breastfeed? Wait, why does she have a baby? Who? How? All these questions and more where racing through Shizune's mind. Unfortunately, all that came out of Shizune's mouth was, "Uhh…"

Looking up from Naruto, Tsunade saw the face of her student and niece of her first lover, Pan. With a smile, Tsunade spoke. "Good morning, Shizune."

From the kitchen, Miraiya turned around from the stove when she heard her wife call out Shizune's name. She looked to see that Shizune was indeed in the living room with Tsunade. "Oh! Good morning, Shizune," she greeted. "Breakfast will be ready in a little bit."

She nodded dumbly, still shocked at the sight of her master feeding a baby she had never seen before. She then turned her attention back to Tsunade.

"Quite a sight, huh?" Miraiya asked as she continued cooking, believing Shizune's shock was due to seeing her beautiful wife nearly naked like she enjoyed, which was completely off from the thoughts Shizune was having. It's weird to be in the thoughts of the quote, 'Legendary Super Pervert, Miraiya the Toad Sannin,' end quote. "I know. She's a beautiful woman! I'm so glad I finally landed her!"

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade interjected. "I don't believe that is what Shizune is shocked about, you pervert." Turning her attention back to her student, she held in a chuckle. "Isn't that right, Shizune?" Without being able to speak, still looking at the sight of the baby feeding from her teacher, Shizune nodded dumbly once again.

"Tsu..Tsunade-Sama," Shizune exclaimed, "Why are you breastfeeding a baby!?"

"Well," Tsunade replied calmly with a hint of sarcasm, "He was crying a little early because he was hungry. So I'm feeding him."

"That's not what I mean!" Shizune yelled. "Why do you have a baby!?"

Tsunade smiled as she looked down to see Naruto still feeding off of her. "Because, I'm going to raise him."

"But… But…" Shizune stammered out. She was utterly confused now. Her Sensei was going to raise this baby. _'Where did she even get it!?'_ she thought.

Walking into the living room was Miraiya after she finished cooking breakfast. Setting the plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on the coffee table between the two couches, she sat down next to Tsunade and draped an arm around her. Looking at each other with a serious look on their faces, it looked as if they were having a telepathic communication. It wasn't that they could do that, but they just knew each other so well that they knew what the other was thinking. Nodding to Miraiya, it was the unspoken signal for them to break the news to Shizune regarding all that happened.

Both Sannin turned to face the young teenager, their faces still keeping their serious expression. Tsunade spoke first with a tone that said this was no laughing matter. "Before we inform you of why we have this baby, and what is going on, you must swear to never and I mean **NEVER** repeat what we are about to say to **ANYONE** outside of this living room. Do you understand?"

Shizune was taken aback. Tsunade was always the calm type, except when it came to the subject of her aunt and her Sensei's sister. Sure, she was serious when the situation called for it, but this was a whole new level of seriousness. Nodding, she answered with sincerity. "I promise, my lady. I will keep it to myself."

Taking a breath, Tsunade looked at Miraiya and nodded. Another of their "telepathic conversations. At this, Miraiya stood up and preformed a privacy jutsu, to keep any unwanted listeners away from the sensitive information they were about to reveal.

Sitting down, Tsunade and Miraiya began to relay everything they had spoken about with the Third Hokage about the previous night. Shizune sat quietly, listening intently to the story. However, she wasn't prepared for what she was told. She was already crying after hearing the account of the Fourth Hokage and her wife. How Lady Third's wife was killed. How Kyuubi was released from Kushina after the masked kunoichi that claimed was Madari Uchiha took her after using Naruto as a distraction. How the boy that was still feeding from her master's breast was her grandson and how Lady Fourth and Lady Kushina gave their lives to seal the Kyuubi, who was still under a Genjutsu, into their own son to protect the village, sealing the remains of their chakra to reinforce the seal used to hold the Kyuubi back. Even the information how Naruto could possibly be the first male chakra wielder due to his circumstance was not held back. It was all laid out on the table, and Shizune took it all in. The shock, sadness, anger, and all other emotions were feeling were raging in her heart. After retelling everything, Miraiya and Tsunade gave the young girl time to absorb everything she heard, wiping away their tears after having to retell the story.

Wiping away her own shed tears, Shizune turned to face her teacher after composing herself. "So, we're the only ones that know?"

Nodding, Miraiya replied. "Yes. Not even the civilian and shinobi council know of the full story. Sensei said she was working on a story to inform the public as well as the council. For now, it is known that Kyuubi no Yoko was defeated at the cost of the Yondaime Hokage's life, not that anyone is complaining about the lack of information. To them, as long as the Kyuubi is gone, they don't care. Though, they are morning Minako's death."

Nodding in understanding, Shizune turned to look at the baby in her Sensei's arms and asked. "So, this is Naruto then?"

Speaking of the little tyke, he finally stopped feeding and was looking up at Tsunade with a smile. Covering herself and wrapping her kimono tightly, much to the disappointment of Miraiya, she held Naruto close with a smile and answered. "That's right. This is our little Naru-chan."

Naruto started laughing and giggling, much to the delight of everyone in the room.

Both Miraiya and Shizune had bright smiles as they watched Tsunade interact with Naruto, her smile being the brightest next to Naruto's. "Yes," she said playfully to the little blonde. "That's you. You're my little Naru-chan. Yes, you are. Oh, yes you are!"

Naruto began laughing even harder as Tsunade began to play with him. If one were to inform Tsunade years ago that she would be laughing and smiling with a baby in her arms, she would have called you crazy before she punched you so hard that your head would be removed from the rest of your body. Even Miraiya was still a bit surprised in the change of Tsunade's personality over the years. She was so used to her being insulted, yelled at, or beaten up by the woman that stole her heart since they were first put together in their team. Sure, she was still called a 'baka', beaten up and screamed at every now and then for doing something stupid, but now it was out of love instead of annoyance. She smiled more, joked more and even flirted back, much to Miraiya's surprise. She had to owe it to Kami above or any other deity that made Tsunade have a change of heart and to let others in after her losses. Especially because the last time she was so affectionate was when Narami and Pan were alive. To see that side again, even if she was a bit rough around the edges was nothing short of a miracle.

Miraiya was broken from her musing when she saw Tsunade lay Naruto on the dining room table to change him. Must have gone and done his thing while she was thinking. Getting up to help assist her, Miraiya retrieved the baby bag that their sensei prepared for them the night before. Taking out the sanitary wipes and a clean pair of diapers, they worked in tandem to clean Naruto's bottom, remove the biohazard that was Naruto's used diaper and put on his fresh, clean on. Throwing the toxic waste bomb known as Naruto's dirty diapers into the trash, Miraiya spoke to her wife. "You know, I'm really surprised that they haven't made a jutsu for changing diapers."

Shaking her head at Miraiya's joke with a smirk adorning her face, she lifted up the cooing Naruto before kissing him on the forehead. "All done." She then turned to face Miraiya and gave a quick peck on her cheek. "That was for helping me without me asking."

With a light blush, Miraiya turned to face Tsunade as she wrapped her arms around her waist. Being about a head taller, Miraiya was able to rest her chin atop Tsunade's head, moving closer to her without smashing into Naruto. "Then I'll be doing that more often." She loved being able to share moments like this Tsunade. After so many years of chasing after the woman that stole her heart, she finally had her, and she returned that love for her tenfold. Miraiya then kissed the top of Tsunade's head, something she enjoyed feeling, before she leaned down and kissed Naruto on his forehead like Tsunade had, much to the giggling joy of Naruto. He liked it when he got kisses, even if he didn't know what they were yet. Miraiya then moved to the couch across from the still sitting Shizune, who was simply eating a grilled cheese sandwich while enjoying the interactions of the people around her with a smile. It felt like a family. A big dysfunctional family that threatened and hit each other, but a family none the less.

Tsunade also returned to the couch, sitting next to Miraiya while leaning against her with her head on Miraiya's right shoulder. Enjoy the comfortable silence for a few minutes before Shizune spoke. "So, what are we going to do today?"

Tsunade replied. "Well, Sensei told us that the Senju compound would be finished being cleaned today." She turned her head to face Miraiya. "And we still need to fill out the paper work to officially adopt Naruto."

Nodding in agreement, Miraiya responded. "Right. And after that," She said as she looked down at Naruto. "We should see if we can find an open store. We'll need to buy a crib, some toys, and clothes for Naruto to have when we move into the compound. It'll be a while before we'll be able to move into the Namikaze compound, when he'll be able to claim his inheritance."

"But," Tsunade questioned. "What if the council would deny him that?"

With a serious expression, Miraiya replied. "Then, I'll take it back by force." Tsunade and Shizune were shocked at the claim from the usually cheerful and laid back Toad Sage. "Minako is our daughter, and Naruto our grandson. Sensei told us last night that she has their original marriage license since she was the one who married them as well as Naruto's birth records that she recovered from the cave where Naruto was birthed. She even told us to make sure we have a blood test done to prove Naruto is our blood relative to build her evidence for when Naruto is old enough to take his inheritance. Male or not, he is an Uzumaki and a Namikaze. I will be damned before I let anyone deny that."

At this, Tsunade and Shizune smiled. Her words were a testament to her love for Naruto. The civilian council was made up of egotistical women that believed women to be the dominant gender in the world. And sadly, some of their beliefs stemmed down to the civilian populace. It was very rare for a man to have a position of political power, considering that all attempts for males to be able to be join the civilian council had been shut down by the women ruling it. So, when in the future when Naruto turned of age, as the last remaining heir to the Namikaze name, would inherit all of Minako and Kushina's fortune even if he were not a female. If Minako and Kushina were alive, political law would dictate that they would need to sire a daughter to be able to pass on their inheritance. However, if the parents were to pass before they would be able to sire a female child, it would immediate go to the sole remailing heir, even if the child were a male. This was the law that Miraiya was going to use should the civilian council attempt to prevent Naruto from taking his inheritance due to his gender and would try to take Minako's fortune for their own uses.

Serious talk devolved into idle chatter and afterwards, all three kunoichi went into their respective rooms to change and get ready for their meeting with the Hokage and the move into their new home.

x Of Ninjas and Assassins x

 *** An Hour Later at The Hokage's Tower ***

Shizune, Miraiya, Tsunade, and little Naruto being held by Tsunade, made their way over to the Hokage Tower. As they walked through the streets of Konoha, they were able to get a better look at how things were in the village following the attack. Thankfully, reconstruction was underway and many were working to assess if damages were repairable or if buildings needed to be completely torn down and built from scratch. There were still quite a few stores and homes that survived, but there were still people that needed new places to live or had their shops ruined and needed to restart their livelihood all over again. Thankfully, Konoha was a village that worked together, though the prejudice of female superiority existed in some. Despite the hurdle, many were working together to get things back to relative normality.

Arriving at the tower, the dysfunctional family made their way past the receptionist who was expecting the family and directed them up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Knocking on the door, as was common curtesy and a breath of fresh air for the Third, especially considering that Miraiya was known to simply hop through her window without any notice or regard for who was in the room. Entering, the family found an ANBU operative in her uniform standing across from the seated Goddess of Kunoichi. Her long white hair that went down to her back was put into a single ponytail with a mask covering the lower half of her face and her left eye being covered by her forehead protector. She didn't have her ANBU mask on, revealing her lone visible right eye. It looked as if she had been crying rather recently. Turning around to face the individuals that had entered the Hokage's office, the ANBU's eye widened seeing that it Lady Miraiya, the Toad Sage, Shizune Kato, apprentice to Lady Tsunade the Slug Princess, and Lady Tsunade herself with a blonde baby in her arms.

"Ah," Hitomi began. "Tsunade, Miraiya, Shizune. I'm glad that you have arrived. Shizune, could you possibly close the door please? I was just discussing some information with my ANBU operative here, and I don't want anyone else listening in."

Nodding, she replied. "Of course, Lady Hokage." Turning around, Shizune quickly but quietly shut the door.

"Good," said Hitomi. Pointing towards the ANBU, she spoke. "This is Kumiko Hatake. I'm sure the two of you recognize your daugther's student?"

Despite being only 14 years old, Kumiko Hatake was one of Konoha's most talented kunoichi. She was famed as Kumiko of the Sharingan, despite not being an Uchiha. Receiving the Sharingan from her now deceased teammate, Obiko Uchiha, she used it in a very effective manner that stuck fear into the hearts of all her enemies, especially those that managed to survive her grasp. After losing both Obiko and her other teammate Rin Nohara during events in the Third Shinobi World War, she had fallen into a deep depression. With the help of her sensei, Minako Namikaze, she was pulled out of her darkness and put focus into her career as an ANBU operative, eventually becoming a captain and leader of her own team. She was one of the few people that was aware of who Minako's parents were, due to Kumiko being her student as well as close friends with Minako and her wife Kushina. She was even aware of their secret marriage and pregnancy, with the couple informing their close friends.

Smiling at the close family friend, Tsunade greeted the young ANBU prodigy. "Good morning, Kumiko. Still wearing that mask I see?"

Jokingly, Miraiya added with a snicker, "I hope you at least take it off and wash it, Inu," calling Kumiko by her ANBU codename. "I'd hate to find out that my daughter's student wasn't practicing good hygene." It was a well-known fact that Kumiko wore a ninja mask covering her lower half of her face and Kumiko wasn't rather forthcoming with her reason for wearing one. That; however, didn't stop the assumtions. Some believed that it was that she simply was an ANBU operative, which required all members had to conceal their identity. Wearing another mask just gave that other layer of protection. Other assumptions were more far-fetched, like she was hiding buck-teeth or large fish lips. Only the Fourth Hokage and her wife knew, and it she wasn't going to spill it to anyone unless they were really special and trusted.

Broken from her surprise of seeing the two Sannin, Kumiko shook her head and replied. "I do, Lady Miraiya. If I didn't, Kushina-chan would have my head."

At that comment, the joking mood turned solemn and the room fell silent. It was still a sore subject, considering the deaths of Kushina and Minako were still fresh on everyone's minds. Taking advantage of the silence, Hitomi spoke. "We were actually discussing Kushina and Minako before you all came in." Turning to face Tsunade, the Third Hokage spoke. "I'm assuming you have briefed Shizune on everything?" Although it was discussed that the events of Minako and Kushina's death, Naruto's birth and all other pieces of significant regarding the situation were to be kept an SSS-Ranked secret, the discussion that was had between the Hokage and her former students ended with the rule that the all the information regarding the night of the Kyuubi attack could be relayed to those closest to Minako and Kushina or those that would be involved with the growth and protection of Naruto.

Nodding, Tsunade responded. "Yes, Sensei. Shizune was told of everything this morning." Looking to Kumiko, she asked. "Has she informed you of everything as well?"

Before she could respond, Hitomi replied for her. "Yes, she has." Turning to face her Hokage, Kumiko saw that she was nodding to her, referring to their earlier conversation that they wanted to keep silent. Before the family entered the office, Kumiko confronted the Hokage as to why her and many of Konoha's other young kunoichi weren't allowed to assist in the battle against the Nine-Tales. Earlier that morning, the grieving ANBU was approached by Danza Shimura. Danza noted that it was Hitomi's orders for the children, even those of high rank like Kumiko herself, to not assist in the fighting. This, according to Danza, prevented Kumiko from possibly saving her sensei and her wife. Danza attempted to convince an emotional Kumiko that the Third was not the best to take lead of the village and wanted her to have Kumiko join her special division, ROOT, to spy on the Hokage. Although tempted to take the offer, Kumiko informed Danza that she would speak with the Hokage and ask for the reason that she and others weren't able to assist. If she didn't like the answer, she would happily join Danza's division.

Kumiko then entered the Hokage's office unannounced, intending to get answers. Despite the blatant disregard for curtesy, Hitomi complied with listening to Kumiko's questions regarding the attack. After asking why they weren't allowed to intervene in the assault, Hitomi sent her personal ANBU guards out of the office and placed a privacy jutsu in the room. Afterwards, Hitomi relayed the entire story of the attack to the ANBU operative, knowing the closeness she had to her sensei. She was told of the circumstances of the attack, the birth of Minako and Kushina's son Naruto, and the sealing of the Kyuubi into the newborn. Kumiko then understood that the forces were withheld to preserve the secret of sealing because if people were to witness the sealing, there was a possibility that a misguided few would attack and kill young Naruto. It was also out of concern for the safety of the younger generation. Many of the older kunoichi had lost their lives in the fighting, and Minako didn't want any else needlessly giving up their lives for the village when she and Kushina, two of the villages strongest fighters, were already prepared to do so.

After getting the answers she wanted, while wiping away the tears that spilled from her eyes during the retelling of events, Kumiko then informed Lady Third that she was approached by Danza, wanting her to join her Root division. She told her that Danza wanted to have her spy on the Third. Feeling that she could truly trust Kumiko for coming clean with the information on Danza, the Hokage revealed that she had heard rumors of an operative in Danza's root that had Wood Release, a form of elemental release unique to the First Hokage, that could have greatly assisted in the battle of the Kyuubi. She revealed that Konoha had tried to recreate the Wood Release powers in the past, with the Hokage's consent, but abandoned the project for it killing too many of the test subjects. Hitomi mused that the Nine-Tales might have been defeated and Minako and Kushina saved along with many more lives that were lost had the research been successful.

From this conversation, it was clear to Kumiko that any doubts she had against the woman her own sensei considered a mother were completely false. More importantly, if Danza truly had an operative that could use the Wood Release, why hadn't she used her and try and stop the Nine-Tales attack? It was then that the Lady Third had given Kumiko an S-Ranked assignment, join Danza's Root division and act as a double agent for the Hokage to retrieve any relevant information that could prove Danza's division would be a danger to Konoha, including the objective of finding out if Danza truly has an operative that has Wood Release. It was here, after accepting the mission that Tsunade and the others walked in. The entire operation was to be a secret only between her and the Hokage, meaning Tsunade and company couldn't know. After all, if Tsunade found out that one of her daughter's students was approached by Danza with the attempt to turn her against her sensei, she would be furious and would ruin any and all attempts at the mission.

Going along with the flow of the conversation, Kumiko turned back to Tsunade and nodded. Smiling, Tsunade asked. "Well if you know everything, then I'm assuming you know who it is I have in my arms?"

Eyes widening, Kumiko looked at the baby in Tsunade's arms and realized who it was. It was her sensei's son. The last living reminder of the woman who taught her everything she knew about being a kunoichi and was her guide when she was lost in the dark. She knew about the Kyuubi being sealed into Naruto, but she didn't care. It was something akin to a kunai sealed in a scroll. Naruto was the scroll and Kyuubi the kunai. He wasn't the beast in a human's body, but simply it's jailor. She even knew that Kushina and the Kyuubi were indeed great friends, so finding out that it was under the control of a powerful Genjutsu allowed Kumiko to realize that should the Kyuubi be released later in life, it wouldn't pose a threat so long as it wasn't under control of the Genjutsu. Still, it was sealed into Naruto for that specific purpose. It wasn't known if Kyuubi was still under the Genjutsu, and no one could find out. Well, no one except for Naruto that is, but it wouldn't be for a while before he could speak with the Tailed-Beast.

Speaking of Naruto, he was looking at Kumiko with interest. Stepping forward very timidly, afraid of scaring the newborn, Kumiko asked Tsunade, "Could I hold him?"

"Of course," she replied. "You are going to be helping us take care of him in the future aren't you?"

That brightened Kumiko's mood. She was going to be able to help take care of her sensei's son. To her, it was a big honor. First things first though, she had to make sure that she didn't hurt little Naruto while carrying him. Gently taking Naruto from Tsunade's arms, Kumiko held Naruto close to her chest as she softly stroked his hair with a smile underneath her mask. "Hello, Naruto. My name is Kumiko."

Naruto enjoyed the feeling of the leather from her gloves against his skin. He reached out with his hands and grabbed onto her mask, successfully pulling it down, revealing Kumiko's beautiful face. She had lips that looked lilac soft with her soft pink lipstick on, much like the one Tsunade used. Her narrow jaw matched well with the rest of her comely figure and the beauty mark under her left corner of her mouth. It was no wonder she wore a mask. Her beauty would distract anyone walking down the street, let alone on a mission. Shizune did well to hide the light blush that graced her face. She had to admit that Kumiko was quite beautiful, and so did everyone else in the room. Even Naruto, who was giggling and clapping his little hands together, seeing the face of the lady that was just as pretty as the two women taking care of him.

Chuckling, Miraiya spoke out to the surprised Kumiko. "Wow. Not even a year old and already he's able to uncover one of Konoha's most guarded secrets, the face under Kumiko Hatake's mask."

At this, everyone in the room had a laugh, even Kumiko, who didn't seem to mind having her face seen. "Sneaky little one, aren't you?" she said to Naruto as she kissed Naruto on the cheek, much to his giggling delight. He may not have known what kisses were, but it really felt nice. He hoped he would get more in the future. Oh, would he be in for the surprise of how many kisses he would be getting. That and much more…

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. The room end up being filled with idle chatter, with Miraiya and Tsunade speaking with their former sensei while Kumiko and Shizune were off to the side, talking and playing with Naruto. He liked the attention he was getting from the two pretty ladies. Eventually, Hitomi called the attention for everyone in the room before she started addressing them all. "Well, for the main reason you three are here. I'm happy to let you know that the Senju compound is ready to move into. I had any available kunoichi that wasn't helping with the rebuilding or taking missions assist in preparing your home to raise little Naruto in."

"Has anything been changed?" Tsunade asked.

Shaking her head, Hitomi replied. "Not a single thing. The property is still the same size, all eight acres. The pond and stream haven't dried up at all and the fruit bearing trees and the vegetable patches are still bearing their food. We were all surprised that aside from the weeds, everything was still alive and well. I suppose life just found a way of keeping things going, or your grandmothers did a very good job of keeping this ready for those living in the house."

Smiling, Tsunade responded. "Well, Grandma Hashirimi and Grandma Mito were very good at their gardening. I tried when I was younger, but I never had a thumb as green as those two. It seemed like they didn't even try."

Shaking her head with a smile at the memory of Hashirimi Senju, the First Hokage of Konoha and one of her teachers, Hitomi continued. "Well like the outside, the inside of the home is well preserved. Aside from all the dust bunnies and spiderwebs, the entire four-story house is still standing. The furniture may need to be changed, but everything was cleaned out and is now ready for you all to stay in. Kumiko will be working on a mission for me but after she gets back, she'll be assigned as your personal guard for all of you and especially for Naruto Uzumaki Senju."

At this, all eyes were on Hitomi. Kumiko and Shizune, who were sitting on the couch to the left of the Hokage's desk were looking at her in surprise while Miraiya and Tsunade, who were sitting across from their sensei, looked on with smiles. "You mean?" Miraiya began to ask.

Taking out a folder from her desk drawer, the Third Hokage opened it to reveal the adoption papers for one Naruto Uzumaki. His mother Minako's last name as dropped and he took on his other mother's last name for the sake of safety. "We can't have it known that he's their son just yet. But I gave him Kushina's last name since there are still a few Uzumaki still around, including you Tsunade, since you were Lady Mito's granddaughter. Once this is signed, he'll officially be your son, even though you're really his grandparents."

Tsunade smiled at that, until she heard the word grandparents. She was only 39 years young. That wasn't the age of a grandparent. After all, she had Minako when she was only a teenager, keeping her pregnancy a secret through a genjutsu and assistance from her sensei by putting her on medical leave under the guise of assisting at the hospital during her pregnancy and putting back on active duty after Minako was born with the Senju family keeping the entire ordeal a secret from the populous. It would have been unbecoming for the Slug Princess to have had a one night stand that resulted in a child after all.

Seeing the frown on her wife's face, and after being subjected to her wife's fist on multiple occasions for joking about her age, Miraiya decided to change the subject in fear of her sensei's but most importantly her own life. "So, how are we going to handle this with the council though?"

Sighing, Hitomi picked up her pipe. It was a vice she attempted to get rid of, but after all that has happened in the past few days, it would seem putting it off wouldn't be possible. "I know we initially discussed that we would keep his heritage a secret from the council. But if they were to see you two with a blond haired, blue eyed newborn baby, knowing that neither of you were pregnant is going to be a hard secret to keep. Especially, from a council of highly trained kunoichi."

"If anything," Kumiko noted while still playing who Naruto, completely forgetting that her mask is still off, "Shikari Nara is in the council. With her genius level intellect, deductive reasoning, and her close friendship with Minako-sensei and Kushina-chan, she'd be able to deduce who really is Naruto's son."

Realizing the truth in her words, the two Sannin and their sensei began muttering about no good Naras being too smart for their own good and making their lives difficult, much to the amusement to both Shizune and Kumiko.

After a few moments of silence between the three, it was Tsunade who finally spoke out. "We're going to have to inform the council aren't we?"

Nodding, with her fingers intertwined in front of her and her elbows on her desk, Hitomi replied. "We do. Kumiko is right. It's not something we can keep from them. They'll be bound to figure it out eventually."

"But do we tell them everything? Even about Kyuubi being sealed into Naruto?" Miraiya asked.

"I say we do." Tsunade replied to her wife's question.

"Tsunade," Hitomi said in surprise. "Yesterday, you were adamant about not letting the council, especially Danza know." Hearing Danda's name made Kumiko stiffened slightly as she remembered her mission, though she was able to shake it off quickly with only the Hokage catching it. She continued. "Why are you okay with it now?"

"It's simple, sensei." Tsunade began. I've been thinking about what you said about how Naruto might be able to wield chakra in the future as kunoichi could. If it were any other kunoichi that Kyuubi might be sealed into, the kunoichi council would simply regard the situation to having the child watched and trained to use the powers for the village with no real regard for it's well-being. However…"

Catching on to her wife's thoughts, Miraiya cut in. "Because it's Minako's child, a boy none the less…"

"Exactly," the Slug Princess exclaimed. "It's a completely different set of circumstances. He's a boy born from two parents with extremely high chakra reserves, and had a Tailed-Beast sealed into him, who's chakra could possible allow his coils to develop to the point of being able to be used effectively as a kunoichi could."

Hitomi understood where her former students were coming from. It was true. It was an unexpected turn of events. With a Tailed-Beast funneling it's chakra into a developing child's coils could allow them to grow and actually use them unlike all other males who couldn't use chakra due to underdeveloped coils, especially when said parents had monstrous reserves themselves. Adding to the fact that he would no doubt take after his parent's genius level intellect and ability to quickly pick up on any given situation, Naruto would be a truly powerful force to be reckoned with. And even if he weren't able to use chakra, the council would see that said intellect could prove valuable to the village itself.

At this, Miraiya added in a thought she had. "You also have to assume that Naruto is going to grow up to be quite the looker. He's going to attract women like honey to bears. With our genetics from Minako and Kushina's all wrapped up in one complete package? He'd be a prime candidate for the clan heads to marry off their future daughters to so that they would have powerful heirs. After all, who wouldn't want to have their children be married to their good friend's child?" She looked at Naruto being held by Shizune before she continued with a perverse giggle. "He's going to get so many marriage contracts offered to him when he grows up. Think of all the honeymoons if he accepts."

At this, Shizune and Kumiko blinked with a blank expression before the perverted Toad Sage's words fully hit them like the blushes on their cheeks. Naruto was already a beautiful baby boy. And if he were to receive even a drop of beauty from both Minako and Kushina, Naruto would grow up to be.. Well, a god damn Adonis. Hitomi wasn't fairing any better as she had thoughts of the baby she thought of as a grandson being all grown up surrounded by women, a situation that any sane person would happily accept. All the while, Miraiya's mind was racing. He was being raised by her, the "Super Pervert." Not to mention he was Kushina's son, whose sexual appetite far exceeded the combined amounts of every kunoichi in Konoha with a wife who happily fed that appetite. Oh dear. The implications of what Naruto's sexual life would be perfect for her books. Sadly, her thoughts were lost, along with her consciousness as she was punched so hard in the face that she flew through the office door and into the wall across the hall, leaving a Miraiya shaped hole. This also brought the three kunoichi out of their perverse thoughts as they didn't want to be a victim of Tsunade's wrath either. At least Naruto was having fun, laughing at seeing the white haired lady who took care of him go flying.

Walking over to Naruto after dusting her hands, Tsunade gently pried her soon-to-be son from her apprentice's arms and carried him over back to her teacher's desk. She then signed the document regarding Naruto's adoption, while the Hokage, her ANBU and Shizune were still looking at the Toad Sage still implanted in the wall, fear slowly creeping in that they would be next. Picking up the house keys on the table to the Senju compound and baby bag that was resting against her chair, she made her way towards the door before turning around to address the remaining occupants of the room. "I trust that you won't be having any perverse thoughts of what my son would look like in the future?"

At this, all eyes were on Tsunade as they all nodded quickly.

With a smile and her eyes closed, Tsunade replied. "Good! Sensei, after my pervert of a wife gets herself out of the wall, make sure she signs the document to make Naruto officially ours. Then, tell her to meet me and Shizune at the Senju compound." At that, she continued walking towards the now broken door before turning her attention to said apprentice and spoke with an overly sweet voice that meant trouble if not followed. "You coming, Shizune?"

With speeds that would make even Minako jealous, Shizune was at her master's side, ready to head to their new home, not wanting to be a part of the wall like Miraiya was. The two soon left the office with Naruto giggling at the funny expression on Miraiya's face of being knocked out by a Tsunade knuckle sandwich.

Kumiko, staring at the damage done by Tsunade, turned to face the Goddess of Kunoichi and voiced out her thoughts. "I was afraid when Minako-sensei got mad. I see where she gets it from."

Nodding, Hitomi felt sorry for her grandson in all but blood. "And poor little Naruto is going to have to deal with that growing up."

Both shuddering at the thought, Kumiko stood up and stretched before making her way to the Hitomi. "So, about that mission, Lady Hokage?"

Turning to face her ANBU, Hitomi adopted a serious look on her face. "Yes. Be careful Kumiko, and find out what you can."

Saluting, Kumiko pulled up her mask before picking up her ANBU face-mask and putting it on. She left the room through the broken door and passed by the still stuck and unconscious Sannin, shaking her head at the sight with a smile underneath. However, as she walked further away from office, her smile faded upon remember all that she heard this morning. It was a lot to take in, but she finally had her answers and Kumiko was fully confident that her Hokage would not do her wrong.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was playing with Naruto as they made their way towards their new home. Despite the perverse way her wife put it, she had to admit that Miraiya was right. Naruto was attracting women, and he wasn't even out of his diapers yet. All the women passing by were stopping to take a look at the beauty baby boy of the Slug Princess. Hell, he even had Kumiko Hatake give him a peck on the cheek after he managed to remove her mask. As she stopped to let another group of women take a look at her boy, she couldn't help but wonder just who else's eye Naruto would catch. At that moment, sneezes could be heard throughout the Elemental Nations from various beautiful kunoichi, all thinking the same thought. _'Huh, wonder who's thinking about me.'_

 **End of Chapter 2**

 **Superfanman217 – I'm glad you like it. Hopefully you'll love this chapter too.**

 **Kreceir – I know. A lot of Fanfictions I read always jump into the Smut without the beginning. I'm not saying my Fanfic will have lemons, but I'm not saying it won't either. Either way, I wanted to write a fully developed story, despite this being my first Fanfiction.**

*Note: Wow. I was not expecting the reception I have received from you all. More than 600 views with 29 Followers and 23 Favorites. You guys are amazing. Thank you so very much to those of you who gave and are still giving this story a chance. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter that came out a lot earlier than I expected it to. I managed to finish it in a few days after completing Chapter 1. If you noticed any grammatical errors in not only this chapter but also the first, please let me know so that I can update it. I'm happy to announce that Chapter 3 is currently underway. I know in my last notes that I said this chapter would be about Naruto growing up, but I felt this chapter was needed to expand a bit more on the plot as well as fill in any plot holes from the first chapter. Again, if you have any questions, concerns or such, feel free to message me or leave a review. Once more, thank you so much for the support and if you didn't enjoy it, I hope the future chapters will catch your fancy and if not, then my future stories will. I'm currently brainstorming ideas on a HighSchool DxD Fanfic while I await the new season. I'm also thinking of doing a Pokemon Fanfic as well, but ideas have kind of run slowly for both. In the meantime, I'll focus on this one for now and will update you all should I actually get to work on those stories. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter of **"Of Ninjas and Assassins."** Next chapter, the kunoichi council is informed of Naruto's heritage. Also, a certain red-eyed Genjutsu mistress, a purple haired ANBU, the former apprentice of a snake, and a veterinary medical-nin from the Inuzuka clan are going to be informed of the circumstances of their sister-figures death by one notable Sharingan wielder, and they get to meet her son. Wow, if that isn't spoilers for who's gonna be in this harem, I don't know what is. Anyways, signing off!

-Twix671


	3. Everyone Gets Some Sunshine

**Of Ninjas and Assassins**

Chapter 3: Everyone Gets Some Sunshine

 _ **Time: 2:00 P.M  
Location: Streets of Konoha  
Date: October 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Two days following the attack of Kyuubi no Yoko**_

Kumiko was making her way through Konoha's streets after her meeting with the Hokage. It would be a while before she would have her meeting with Danza Shimura, and appearances of normality needed to be kept. After all, you never know who could be watching you. However, the young ANBU prodigy was deep in thought, not that you would be able to see it with her face mask on. Currently, she was deciding if she would tell her extremely close circle of friends, who thought of Kushina as an older sister, about what was revealed to her regarding baby Naruto. Would they understand the situation as she did, or would they be misguided in their thinking and take action to harm the little bundle of joy? She had to admit to herself that after meeting the newborn Jinchuriki, it reaffirmed her understanding that Naruto was indeed not the Kyuubi and that he somehow managed to worm his way into her heart with just one meeting. And he couldn't even talk yet! Feeling confident from her musing on her sensei's son, Kumiko believed in her friends and had faith that they would share her thoughts, thus deciding to inform them of the results of her meeting. Only problem was, where would they be? After asking a passerby the time, the white-haired kunoichi figured they be having lunch. _'And I know just where they'd be going to.'_ She thought. Taking to the rooftops, Kumiko sped off towards their usual meet-up spot, The Dango Shop.

After about five minutes of rooftop hopping, Kumiko softly landed outside The Dango Shop. It was a popular shop in Konoha that was famous for its, well dango. _'Good thing it managed to survive the attack. Otherwise, Anko would have had a fit.'_ Kumiko thought with a sweatdrop. It was something set in stone that Anko Mitarashi had the sweetest tooth of all the kunoichi in the Leaf Village. Most days, you'd be able to find the snake apprentice in The Dango Shop, scarfing down her favorite meal, dango and red bean paste. It was a miracle that she hadn't eroded her teeth from all the sugar she ate.

As she moved towards the entrance, Kumiko was thrown from her musing when a teenage boy no older than her was literally tossed out on his ass from the sweet shop. It looked like he'd taken a severe beating. _'Probably Anko's handiwork,'_ the ANBU thought. It was then that her suspicions were confirmed when she heard a familiar voice yell, "And no means no, you piece of shit!"

"Yup," Kumiko said to herself. "Definitely Anko's doing."

"Anko," a second voice from the shop yelled, one that also sounded familiar to Kumiko. "That is no way to talk in front of Hana!"

"Let it go Kurenai," said a third voice that the white-haired ANBU recognized. "You know there's no controlling her."

"Well,"Kumiko thought aloud. "Looks like the gang is all here." She entered the shop, passing by the unconscious male sprawled out on the ground and made her way to the table in the far corner that seated her four close friends. First was the kunoichi that threw out the poor teenage, Anko. The twelve-year old apprentice of the legendary Snake Sannin had her violet hair styled in her usual short, spiky fanned-ponytail, with a few strands in front of her light brown, non-pupiled eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless fishnet mesh shirt that showed off her well placed curves quite nicely. She also had on fishnet armbands that reached to her elbows, dark brown shorts with her kunai holster strapped to her right leg and a pair of knee-length boots. She was currently stuffing her face with food when she looked up at Kumiko with a smile, her cheeks puffed out with food.

Sitting down next to Anko, shaking her head at her friend's antics, was Kumiko's second closest friend, Kurenai Yuhi. The fair-skinned, slender built fifteen-year old genjutsu expert was drabbed in the standard Konoha kunoichi outfit with her chunnin flak jacket on. Her long untamed black hair reached down to her shoulders as she began nibbling on a stick of dango.

Across Kurenai was Kumiko's third close friend Yugao Uzuki. It was rumored that she would soon be selected into the ANBU black ops division due to her skill in kenjutsu and her sensory ability. The ten-year old ANBU hopeful, who often looked to Kumiko as a role model, was wearing a simple black t-shirt with white shorts. The light skinned kunoichi had her straight purple hair flowing down to her shoulders, with her bangs slightly covering her warm brown eyes.

Lastly, was the smallest and youngest member of their circle of friends, was Hana Inuzuka. She was wearing light-brown clothes with white fur around the collar and a gray sash around her waist. Despite being only six-years old, the aspiring veterinary-nin had a very sharp mind. She had her long brown hair put into a ponytail, with two locks of her hair framing her face. Her large black eyes were staring widely at the sight of Anko being able to eat so many sweets. Hana had joined their circle of friends after she was saved by Anko from a group of bullies. Anko had taken a liking to the young Inuzuka and invited her along to have lunch with her and her friends. She had been around the group ever since.

As Kumiko greeted her friends and sat down next to the empty seat by Kurenai, the group nicknamed Konoha's Ice Queens was complete once again. It wasn't that any of the group had ice release abilities. No, they were called Ice Queens for their cold personality towards their suitors, be it male or female. While many of Konoha's young population often made advances towards the older members of the group, none were wooed enough to accept them. Often times however, the rejections were rather harsh. This was due to the pursuers, often being male but sometimes female, would continuously push to be accepted, only to receive a punch to the face and a slew of insults. The girls just weren't interested in anyone at the time, mainly wanting to focus on their careers as kunoichi. It was also because that most of the individuals that attempted to attract their attention wanted nothing more than to have a one night stand, much to their disgust. Scorned men and women often said that they had hearts of ice for not accepting anyone's advances, which in turn led to their being nicknamed, Konoha's Ice Queens, with Hana being a Queen in training as Anko often said.

Light conversation was being had between the Ice Queens and their trainee for a few minutes while munching on some dango, despite the oddity that was Kumiko, who was able to eat with her mask on somehow. It was always a mystery how she would be able to do so, but she never told. Eventually, Kumiko decided enough time had passed for her to reveal everything.

"Kurenai," Kumiko began. "Could you please put a genjutsu up? Make it look like we're just chatting and having fun?"

Confused, the red-eyed beauty complied and created a genjutsu around their table. Nodding that it was done, Kumiko quickly ran threw a few handsigns and placed a privacy jutsu around them.

With her mouth still full, Anko tried to speak. "Wphh wph mhe mmtsu mmr?"

"Swallow, Anko." Yugao said as she face-palmed.

Complying and taking a swig of water after doing so, she repeated her original muffled question. "What was the jutsu for?"

Looking at the girls at the table, Kumiko sighed as she took off her ANBU mask. It was for her friends to see that she was serious about what she was going to speak about. And by look in her lone eye, it looked like this wasn't a time to make jokes. "What I am about to relay to you is an SSS-Ranked secret. I want your word as kunoichi," Kumiko then turned her attention to the youngest member of the group, "and future kunoichi that what we discuss here is not to be spoken to with anyone with the exception of the Hokage, Lady Tsunade, Lady Miraiya, and Shizune, Lady Tsunade's apprentice. Do I make myself clear?"

Stealing glances at each other, all present turned their attention back to Kumiko and gave a firm nod. Nodding back, Kumiko began. "All right then. Well, let me start with what exactly happened to Minako-chan and Kushina-nee-chan…"

 ***Elsewhere at the Council Chambers in Konoha***

Hitomi Sarutobi had called a meeting with all the heads of Konoha's prominent clans. Sitting in a well-lit meeting room was a large round table. Taking that largest seat was Hitomi herself. To her immediate left were her advisors and former teammates, Homara Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Homara had her gray, short spikey hair out and was wearing her council garbs as well as her green glasses and a constant frown that she wore, even in her youth. Koharu had her hair pulled back into a twin bun locked by a traditional Japanese hair pin with pearls dangling off to the side, along with her long earrings. She, like Homara, was wearing her council garbs that consisted of a simple long kimono that was closed by a jacket with a sash over it.

To Hitomi's right was her oldest friend, well if you could call her that at this point. In their youth; however, it was something you could truly call the two. Now it seemed that the two were in a power struggle of who had the right to be Hokage. This would be none other than Danza Shimura, leader of the Konoha Special Ops Division, ROOT. She had black, shaggy hair with her right eye concealed by bandages. She wore a white with a black rob over it, covering her from her feet all the way up to her right shoulder.

Following Danza on her right was Asami Hyuga. The usual stern and strict Hyuga with a heart of gold as her wife, Hikari put it, was sitting quietly for the meeting to begin. She had her long black hair flowing down to her upper back with her featureless white eyes, like all members of her clan, closed as she listened to the drabble of her fellow clan heads next to her. To her right was Fusako Uchiha. Despite the claims from the two clan heads that they were completely different, the opposite was the most truth. Like Asami, Fusako was also a stern and strict clan head, but her wife Mikoto, said that Fusako was a kind hearted woman on the inside, a side that was rarely seen to the populous. Fusako had short brown hair that reached to her shoulders and a pair of onyx-colored eyes, with visible creases below them that made her eyes more pronounced whenever she took on a serious look, something her wife joked was all the time. She was wearing a simple blue kimono that had her clan's symbol on that back and a pair of grey pants.

Next to Fusako was Inori Yamanaka. She had long ash blond hair that reached down to her back. It was spiky on top and ended in a long ponytail. She had her forehead protector on with two strands of long blond bangs that framed her face behind it, putting emphasis on her blue-green eyes. She was wearing her flak jacket over a standard black outfit. To her left was one of her best friends and fellow clan head, Shikari Nara. Shikari had two scars on the right side of her face. That however didn't detract from her beauty, something all the clan heads had. She had her hair up in a spiky ponytail, dark eyes and pierced ears. She was wearing a meshed shirt underneath her flak jacket and standard kunoichi pants, like her friend Inori. To Shikari's right was the third of their trio, Chomei Akamichi. She was, "well-rounded" woman, as she always emphasized. She had long spiky red hair and purple markings on her cheeks. She was currently wearing a samurai like outfit, which composed of a black suit with armor that had on the kanji for food. She was a lover of it, like many of her clan.

Next to the "well-rounded" Akamichi was Shiina Aburame. The silent and cautious bug mistress was quietly listening in to the conversations of her fellow clan heads, giving in her input when asked. She, like all members of her clan, had her eyes obscured by dark glasses with had a single tassel hanging from its left side. She had her brown hair put into a single bun with a high collared outfit on. She currently had her hands in her pockets.

Finally to Shiina's right was Tsume Inuzuka. Like much of the Inuzuka clan, she had a bit of an animalistic look to her. She had long, spiky brown hair that was unruly. Her eyes had vertical, slit-like pupils, elongated canine teeth and nails. She also had her clan fang markings on her cheeks as well as markings over her eyes and a dark shade of purple lipstick. She had on her flak jacket with a black suit underneath with her sleeves rolled up and bandages on her legs.

Before the Hokage was the heads of Konoha's most prominent clans. These were also the clans that were extremely close to her now deceased successor's family. All the clan heads and their wives were close friends to Minako and her wife Kushina. And despite what many thought would be animosity between Minako and Fusako, due to Fusako not being chosen for the position for Hokage and Minako chosen instead, they held a friendly rivalry but an even closer friendship. Their wives were extremely similar in their friendship as well.

All the clan heads and their wives were saddened to hear about the deaths of their two friends, as well as believing that their child sadly perished alongside Kushina. Today; however, would be the day that Hitomi would inform them of Naruto's survival, but also the circumstances surrounding his birth and the burden he carried. She had little disbelief that the village along with the civilian council would call for the young one's head on a stick. She did believe, though, that the kunoichi council would think differently.

Her biggest fear though, was Danza. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Danza would take Naruto under her wing to train him into a mindless agent, much like the rest of her ROOT. And even if Naruto didn't know how to wield his chakra or if his coils wouldn't develop if the Kyuubi's chakra didn't assist with his growth, she would use him as a breeding tool in the future for Konoha to have extremely strong kunoichi in the future due to Naruto's genetics with her former teammates following along with the idea.

Thankfully, Tsunade and Miraiya were in town and would not be leaving anytime soon. This meant that if the clan heads were to side with her on the matter, she would not only have Naruto protected by his grandparents/parents, but he would also be under the protection of all of Konoha's prominent clans. And her advisors wouldn't be able to inform the civilian council of the matter due to the information being an SSS-Ranked secret that are kunoichi eyes and ears only. All this combined gave the Hokage enough confidence that Danza wouldn't be able to touch her surrogate grandson without going through one hell of an army.

"All right, quiet down." Hitomi spoke out, disrupting the chatter between the clan heads. At this all eyes were on the aged kunoichi. "This meeting has been called due to the importance of a child being recently born. This child…"

"If I may, Hokage-sama? What could possibly be so important about one child's birth after the wake of destruction from the Kyuubi attack?" Danza cut in with a sharp and rude tone.

Looking at her advisor and "friend" with a look that essentially asked _'Really?',_ Hitomi retorted. "Well, if you let me finish a sentence, Danza, I might be able to inform everyone here, including you, about the importance of this child. Now, I would kindly ask for you to shut your mouth."

Snickering came from Tsume, who quickly stopped upon discovering that all eyes were on her with amused looks on their faces. Well, everyone besides the advisors. Clearing her throat, she spoke. "I apologize, Lady Hokage. Please continue."

Shaking her head, she resumed. "Yes. As I was saying, this child is important due to its parentage." Taking a second to pause and see if her words caught everyone's attention, which did, she spoke out. "This child was born from our now deceased Forth Hokage, Minako Namikaze and her wife, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze."

Silence was the immediate feedback. However, Hitomi could feel the wave of joy that washed over the clan heads. They had known that Kushina was pregnant, and come to find out that she had given birth and the child managed to survive. After the wave of joy; however, came a wave of questions.

"Where is the child!?" shouted an excited Tsume. She was a fan of Kushina's personality. While level-headed and cheerful with a side of sassiness, Kushina had a hairpin trigger temper and violently lashed out against others that angered her. This always left for a good story to be told about Kushina, many of which Tsume was around for. She was a close friend and promised Kushina that should anything happen to her, she would take care of her child, no matter what.

"Is the child well?" asked an outwardly calm, but inwardly frantic Shiina. The Aburame clan was always thought of as strange and most kunoichi and civilian opted to stay away from their members. However, the Fourth and Kushina always treated them fairly and like any other human being, without making them feel like strange beings, leading them to be the first real friends of the clan. This led to many in the clan to have great affection for the two, Shiina and her wife being the closest. Due to this, like Tsume, Shiina vowed to care for their child in their place, as a friend would do.

"Is it a boy or girl!? Can we see it!?" exclaimed the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Like Shiina and Tsume, the trio and their wives were close friends with Kushina and Minako. While at first, the clan heads and wives were wary of Kushina, due to her being an outsider, she proved her worth as a kunoichi and managed to break the notion that outsiders were not good for Konoha. The trio with Kushina and Minako would often eat at Chomei's home, played games of strategy at Shikari's and discussed business ventures and such at Inori's. As such, the trio of clan heads also vowed to protect their dear friend's child at any cost.

Asami and Fusako kept quiet, but the looks on their faces spoke everything. They were glad their friend's child was alive and well, and wanted to know if it was possible to meet said child. Asami and her wife Hikari had married in secret at the same time as Minako and Kushina. Asami's wife was an outsider of the Hyuga clan, who had strict traditions of often keeping things within the clan itself. Asami, who although very loyal to her clan, grew tired of traditions as well as the clan's usage of the Caged Bird Seal, a way to seal the Byakugan, the clan's prized Dojutsu. However, its second purpose was to control the Branch Family, Hyuga members who served the Main House as essentially, slaves. Tired of the separation of the households, Asami swore to her twin sister and herself that she would banish the seal and bring the houses together. Minako and Kushina, both seal experts, were willing to assist at any means possible, due to it being such a noble cause. This and many other factors drew Asami close to Minako and Kushina, and thus allowed them to be such good friends.

Fusako had her own issues with her clan. There were growing tensions between the Uchiha clan and many members of Konoha, more specifically, some members of the council. These tensions; however, began long before Minako had taken the seat of Hokage. Hashirimi didn't want Madari Uchiha's actions of challenging her to right to rule to be held against the rest of the Uchiha. However her sister and successor, Tobimara, was wary of the Uchiha, believing they could never be fully convinced to fully commit to Konoha's best interests. For this reason, she created the Konoha Police Force, which she left the Uchiha to be in charge of. Officially, it was to be a sign of good faith, but many Uchiha interpreted it as the start of their clan's isolation from Konoha's affairs.

As time passed, many Uchiha came to believe that Madari had been right her belief that the Uchiha would never be treated as equals and that they would be ostracized. However, when Fusako had taken leadership of the clan and when Minako had taken her role of Hokage, the two began to work out ways to show the Uchiha could indeed be trusted, despite the protests of Danza and Hitomi's former teammates. It was these actions that had Fusako believing that the time of animosity between Konoha and the Uchiha would be over thanks to her growing friendship with Minako and her wife. Before their untimely end, Fusako and her wife had grown extremely close to the Namikaze pair, even considering the possibility of forming a marriage contract between theirs and Minako's child. Knowing their child indeed survived, Fusako wanted nothing more than to take the child under the Uchiha clan. Partly for it's potential to help create stronger clan members, similar thoughts to her fellow clan heads. After all, they were clan heads, looking for ways to strengthen their own clans. However, their love for the pair outweighed these thoughts.

As the once quiet meeting erupted into a spewing volcano of questions about her surrogate grandchild, Hitomi sighed in annoyance and began rubbing her forehead. _'Oh, Kami. What have I gotten myself into? I don't even want to mention the rest of Naruto's situation. Oh, well. A Hokage's got to do what a Hokage's got to do. Minako, my dear, I love you but I despise you for leaving me in this predicament.'_ Raising her hand, the Hokage took in a deep breath before unleashing her strong voice to the noisy clan heads. "ENOUGH!" She snapped. Apparently, that did the trick as all the clan heads quieted down. Though they all had annoyed looks on their faces that essentially spoke, _'We just wanted to know how the child's doing.'_

"Now that I have your undivided attention," Hitomi began. "I can inform you of the situation regarding the child. Firstly, it's a boy. His full name is Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze. As you are all well aware, he takes the Senju name from his maternal grandmother, Tsunade Senju, my student. He also takes the Namikaze name from my other student and his paternal grandmother, Miraiya as well as his paternal mother, the former Fourth Hokage, Minako Namikaze. His Uzumaki name is from his maternal mother, Kushina Uzumaki. I reiterated this to fully declare to this council the heritage of Konoha's youngest hero."

"How could a child, more importantly, a newborn boy that cannot use chakra possibly be a hero?" Asked Hitomi's former teammate, Homara. Let it be known that Homara despised men and viewed them as nothing more than servants to womankind.

Sighing in frustration, Hitomi replied. "If everyone can stop speaking, I can get to that!" Seeing that all attention was on her, she continued. "Thank you. Now, the reason that young Naruto is a hero to Konoha is simple. As you are all aware, the Kyuubi, the being that destroyed our village not two days ago, is one of nine titanic living forms of chakra created by the Sage of Six Paths. As such, these beings cannot be killed."

Folding her hands together and resting her elbows on the table in front of her, the Goddess of Kunoichi continued. "Going into battle against the Kyuubi, Minako knew this. She knew that the only way to beat the Kyuubi was to once again seal it into someone. Initially, Minako's idea was to seal it back into Kushina, Kyuubi's original jailor. However, the chances of the sealing actually succeeding were less than ideal."

Tsume interjected. "But why not? I mean, we all know how much of an expert Minako was in sealing. In fact, the only person in this entire village who could even remotely match up to her was Kushina herself, and we all know that that's because she was the one who taught Minako herself with Lady Miraiya's assistance. How would the sealing fail?"

At this, many of the clan heads were also intrigued. They weren't experts in the art of Fuinjutsu, and would admit that getting Minako and Kushina to try and explain their level of Fuinjutsu in its simplest of terms would be like trying to teach a four year old advanced game theory. Even Shikari Nara, the resident genius of Konoha had a difficult time trying to understand them at times, often calling their immense knowledge on the subject, "Troublesome."

Hitomi continued. "Mainly, it was due to the condition of the vessel, Kushina. For any Jinchuriki, childbirth is one of the most difficult times as the seal would be at its weakest. After Kushina gave birth to Naruto, her body was already at its weakened state. Then right after, the Kyuubi was ripped out of its seal, put a greater deal of strain on the already weakened Kushina. And even in her weakened state, she pushed her body even further to fight alongside her wife in the battle to draw the Kyuubi away from destroying the village any further. After managing to hold the Kyuubi down with her own chakra chains, Kushina was far too frail at that point to have Kyuubi placed back inside of her. It would be like taking a paper cup, crushing it and folding it and placing small cuts around the side, and then filling it up to the brim with water. It would leak and the cup would inevitably break. Essentially, if Minako were to seal Kyuubi back into Kushina, it would have put us back to square one, with Kyuubi still on the loose."

Now in understanding of the circumstance, all the clan heads nodded their heads. However, one clan head was putting all the pieces together of why the son of her friend's was a hero. _'If they couldn't put it back into Kushina, then of course they would have to find another vessel for the beast. But in the middle of a battle with all the civilians being evacuated by Kunoichi, who would they choose to…'_ At this, the Nara clan head's eyes widened in understanding and shock as a single tear fell down her cheek, knowing the difficult life ahead for the newborn. _'Minako, you troublesome woman. You did this to your own child?'_

Taking notice of her reaction, Hitomi quietly spoke. "I believe you understand now, why young Naruto is a hero to this village, Shikari?"

Nodding, Shikari composed herself to reply to her leader. "Yes, Lady Hokage. Since Minako couldn't use Kushina, they had to choose someone close enough to the battle that would be able to seal Kyuubi into. Even with Kyuubi exerting most of its chakra during the battle, it still would have had enough to kill any adult it would be sealed into, since it would overload their chakra coils. So, they would have to choose a child. More specifically, a newborn, to be able to have its chakra coils grow and adapt to the immense chakra the Kyuubi holds."

Uttering her first words since entering the meeting, Asami Hyuga spoke with widened eyes of understanding as she turned to look at her Hokage. "She sealed into her own child, didn't she?"

At this, all eyes of the ninja council turned focused their attention onto the Goddess of Kunoichi. In return, Hitomi Sarutobi gave a solemn, single nod in response. Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze, son of two of Konoha's greatest Kunoichi, was the new Jinchuriki of Kyuubi no Yoko.

A sense of shock flowed through the entire room. A thought on many of the clan head's minds were of how Minako Namikaze could place such a heavy burden on her own child. It wasn't a secret of how jinchuriki were treated. Often times, they were hated and ostracized by their fellow villagers, treated no different than the beast they contain. Many villagers would be glad to get rid of their jinchuriki. To put this burden on her child was, in their thoughts, insane.

Sensing their confusion and frustration, Hitomi continued her explanation of the reason of Naruto being chosen as the new jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Echoing her explanation to Tsunade and Miraiya a few nights earlier, she continued off of Shikari's explanation regarding the need for a newborn child to be used in a sealing rather than an adult. She also went into detail regarding the intricate details of the sealing and how it cost Minako her own life to seal the Kyuubi, part of her chakra and Kushina's chakra into Naruto to reinforce the seal as well as be there for Naruto to help control the beast's chakra or hold it back should it ever leak out.

Afterwards, she explained Minako's choice. She described how much Minako loved Konoha and how she wouldn't be able to put such a burden on any of her kunoichi or villagers' children if she couldn't do it to her own son. At this, the clan heads understood, though their tears for the hard life ahead for Naruto continued to shed.

However, the only two clan heads of the room that did not shed tears were Asami and Fusako. It wasn't that they didn't feel emotion for the young newborn. But in their minds, they weren't going to waste time shedding tears over the situation when they could make it better. Whether or not the Hokage revealed everything to the civilian portion of the council or the village itself, Naruto would need protection. Both Asami and Fusako were already thinking of ways to bring the blonde jinchuriki into their clans and have him grow up with their respective clans in his good graces. After all, Asami was expecting a child and Fusako had her daughter Suki as a possible partner for Naruto. His lineage plus her clan's would make unstoppable kunoichi, with Asami thinking of such benefits as well. It seemed a bit underhanded, but if they could help out a close friend's child and get something out of it, who wouldn't jump on the opportunity in this world? They were ninja after all, and ninjas never played fair.

The discussion continued and after a through explanation on difference of a jinchuriki and its prisoner, mostly in reassurance that young Naruto wouldn't be a threat to the village's safety even though Kushina was the prime example. It was then that Hitomi discussed the last portion of their meeting regarding Naruto, his possibility of being able to use chakra.

"WHAT!?" The clan heads shouted. Surprisingly, even the quiet Shiina, Fusako and Asami yelled in shock.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I must be hearing things. Could you repeat that again?" Asked the Yamanaka clan head.

"It's as I said," the aged Sarutobi replied. "There is a possibility that Naruto would be able to wield chakra in the future."

"Forgive my interruption my lady," spoke the Aburame clan head. "But would this be in part due to the Kyuubi?"

"Partially," Hitomi explained. "But there are other factors that allow for this strong possibility. For instance, you have to remember that Minako and Kushina were two of our strongest kunoichi. Both Minako and Kushina had extremely massive reserves, Minako from her parentage and Kushina coming from the Uzumaki clan, who as we all know possessed incredibly strong life forces, granting them very long lifespans. Uzumaki's also had the ability to heal and rejuvenate allies through heal bites. As Kushina and Minako always fought side by side, their chakra always mixed with each other, including the Kyuubi's since Kushina's seal allowed her to take an amount of Kyuubi's chakra for battle without it corrupting her. This in effect increased both of their reserves, not to mention the consistent training they put themselves through to keep in shape. All of these factors, Kushina and Minako's reserves, Naruto's heritage of the Senju clan and his grandparents being two of my strongest students and having the Kyuubi give chakra to Naruto in which is essentially the same seal Kushina had, would quite possibly mean that Naruto's chakra coils would be large enough for usage, and unlike most males, his chakra points would allow chakra to fully flow throughout his body, allowing him to tap into said reserves. Basically…"

It was here that the Nara clan head picked up from where the Hokage left off. "Basically, Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze would be the first male to be able to use chakra to its fullest potential since the Sage of Six Paths." Interlocking her fingers together and placing her elbows on the table in front of her, she continued as she rested her chin on top of her interlocked hands. "This makes Naruto the single most important person in Konoha, not just for the Kyuubi, but also the possibility of his being able to wield chakra."

Nodding her head, the Hokage of Konoha motioned for Shikari to continue. "Please, Shikari. I think you also figured out why he is the most important person to Konoha at this point."

"It was the topic of discussion, Lady Hokage," Shikari replied. "His lineage. Even if Naruto is not capable of wielding chakra, he's inevitably going to inherit his paternal mother's and grandmother's extremely high intellect as well as his maternal mother's extraordinary sensing ability. Then there is the Senju line from Lady Tsunade, which is another lineage of strong and smart kunoichi dating back to the first and second Hokage. His subsequent children would inherit the genetics of all of Konoha's strongest kunoichi. In short, he's going to be the perfect male."

At this, the entire room fell quiet once more at the implications of what was said. All clan heads immediately realized just how important Naruto was to the village. He would be the walking reincarnation of his mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers before him, with or without the usage of chakra. He would be beautiful, ridiculously so and his intellect would go toe to toe with that of the Naras. He'd be the dream man for all of their daughters to marry, or maybe even themselves if their wives would allow it. It'd be perfect. Not only would they be protecting their friend's child, but they'd also get something out of the deal. Again, they were ninjas after all. Unfortunately, Danza had very similar thoughts. _'It seems there is now a much valuable resource for Konoha. I would need for Naruto to be taken under my wing.'_

Danza's thoughts however were interrupted as one clan head would set off one of many cat fights, all regarding who would inevitably be the world's favorite jinchuriki, Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze. "Lady Hokage," Began the Hyuga clan head as she stood up. "I would like to petition that Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze be adopted and placed under the care and protection of the Hyuga clan. As a close friend to not only Kushina but Minako as well, I believe myself and the members of my clan are more than qualified to raise the child, and would see to it that he is kept safe from any and all dangers that would threaten him."

Sighing, Hitomi Sarutobi mentally counted down to the inevitable. _'And in 3… 2… 1…"_ At this, her head fell, almost as if it were timed with the completely expected, "EXCUSE ME!?" from all the subsequent clan heads. _'Daughter of a bastard, I knew this was coming.'_ Hitomi mentally cursed.

"The Uchiha clan would do a much better job to raise the young boy." Began Fusako as she glared at the Hyuga head, who without hesitation, glared right back. "Not only would we offer the same protection to the child, but also provide a training regime and education that would far surpass the limitations of the Hyugas. We can not only watch over him, but also give him the training he would need to defend himself."

At this, Asami scoffed. "Please, Fusako. I wish to adopt Naruto. I want him to be raised as a child, not as a weapon."

Tsume interjected, "Yeah! Besides, since Naruto has the Kyuubi in him, he would be better suited to stay with the Inuzuka clan, where we can fully monitor if he does develop animalistic tendencies, which we can help him control!"

"Faulty reasoning if anything, Tsume." Spoke out the quiet Aburame clan heiress.

"Like you can come up with something better! The Inuzuka will take him in!" The feral beauty replied.

"Hey! What about us!?" Shouted the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Rolling her eyes, Fusako replied. "What about you?"

The meeting room descended into a shouting match/debate/free-for-all regarding young Naruto, with Hitomi wanting to bash her head against the desk in frustration. In the end, The Goddess of Kunoichi had enough as she yelled at the top of her lungs while leaking out enough killing intent to draw their attention, "WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?"

At this, all eyes were on Hitomi, widened in shock. It was rare for the Hokage to swear. Sensing her distress and anger, the killing intent helping out immensely, all the clan heads took their seats and muttered out their apologies. Clearing her throat, Hitomi continued. "For Kami's sake, we are Kunoichi. We are supposed to be acting like proud warriors, not like little children in the playground arguing over a child like he's some damn toy! And while I don't doubt your intentions of wanting to help your friends, I do know you are trying to arrange for your future children along with my students' grandchild. Now, I know we do not have honor among ninja like the samurai have, the least we can have is diplomacy. So I expect you all to sit there, look pretty, listen well, and wait for me to give you permission to speak, otherwise I will show you just how I earned my title. Is. That. Clear?" At the end, she began to leak out killing intent again, in hopes it would cause the clan heads to listen. And thankfully, it worked as they all nodded.

Sighing in relief, she spoke. "Thank you. Now, as for Naruto's arrangements, he will be staying with his grandparents."

At this, Danza saw an opportunity to counter. With Tsunade's questionable reputation due to her abandoning Konoha after the deaths of her first lover Pan and her sister Narami, as well as Miraya having to run her spy network, Naruto would have two guardians that would be ill-suited to live with. As such, she could take Naruto under her wing and raise him within the ROOT program. However, Hitomi wasn't Hokage for nothing, and knew of Danza's scheming ways. "Before you start Danza, remember that Tsunade returned to the village at a time long before Naruto's birth to reconcile and get to know her daughter and daughter-in-law. During that time, she has taken a place here at the hospital in training the staff in medical ninjutsu as well as cleaning up many of her habits. Miraiya still runs her spy network, but will be, for the most part, using messenger toads and other informants to monitor and manage her organization from here in Konoha and will leave Naruto in Tsunade's capable hands as well as that of her apprentice's only when necessary."

Growling, the war-hawk replied. "I simply wish for him to be used for what he is."

"He isn't a kunai nor a shuriken, Danza." Hitomi said angrily. "He is an infant and citizen to this village, and as such, I will not have you use him and treat him as a tool."

"You are making a grave mistake, Hitomi," Danza shot back. "If this were to get out to the village, they will have his head! And should the other villages find out, they will take him and use him as their own weapon, if not breeding stock. The possibilities are endless with him, and I can mold those possibilities for our village!"

"Those possibilities will not come to fruition! Any and all details regarding Naruto Senju Uzumaki Namikaze and his condition of being a Jinchuriki and possible wielder of chakra are to be kept within the confides of this room as well as within this council. The civilian section, population nor council, shall not hear even a syllable of this discussion. And as such, should any of you divulge such information to the populous; I will personally have your heads after Tsunade and Miraiya deal with you." At this, Hitomi gave a hard look to all in the room, eyes daring for anyone to go against her wishes.

Knowing she lost this battle due to the irrefutable evidence of Tsunade's improvement as well as the explanation of Miraiya's dealings with her grandchild, she conceded. _'However, I will have him, Hitomi. Mark my words.'_

"Now, as I stated. Naruto will be staying with his grandparents in the Senju compound. Tsunade and Miraiya have officially adopted Naruto and as stated, will be raising him. As for training and education, that will be left up to his adoptive parents as well as dealings with the clan." Gaining a sinister thought of having her students deal with the arguing clan heads, she added. "In fact, Naruto and his new family will be moving into the Senju compound today. As such, if you'd like to make a good first impression of your clans upon his Tsunade and Miraiya, you could go and greet them with offerings of housewarming and meeting the young newborn yourself."

At this, the clan heads perked up. Immediately, all clan heads politely asked, "Would that be all Hokage-sama?"

Knowing that her plan worked and that her students would now have to suffer from the clan heads dealings like she had, she smiled and nodded. As if on signal, the clan heads began racing out the room to head to their homes and prepare themselves and their gifts for the new family moving into the Senju compound. After all, it was simply to welcome Tsunade and Miraiya formally and to meet Naruto. It wasn't to make an impression on his parents/grandparents at all. No, of course not!

Looking to her side, Hitomi notice that her former teammates were deep in thought. "Still having reservations about young Naruto?" It seems that they were still having a hard time of differentiating a Jinchuriki and their prisoner. It was to be expected. There was always fear regarding Jinchuriki, that the beasts they contained would somehow get out and kill senselessly.

Homara, looking up to her hold teammate turned Hokage asked, "Are we sure, that the child is not the Kyuubi? Or that it won't get out?"

Looking towards her pair, Hitomi replied. "You both met and dealt with Kushina. And while your personalities clashed, you could truly see that Kushina was not the reincarnation of the Kyuubi nor were there any signs of it getting out. It took a Kunoichi to release it. And as I recall, you both eventually took a liking to Kushina, knowing what she holds. Are you meaning to say that you won't be able to feel the same regarding her child who carries that burden she once carried?"

"It's just that the circumstances have changed, Hitomi." Replied Koharu. "Kushina was a full grown woman that had already had previous training in dealing with the Kyuubi and it's chakra. Now, it's in a new born child. Will the seals hold? Will it grow up and not become the beast in the future?"

Sighing, Hitomi shook her head. However, she couldn't blame her teammates. After all, they were afraid. Fear gives way to doubt. "I understand your reservations, but remember. You have a seal's mistress watching over Naruto, and will always check and reinforce the seal if need-be. If you'd like, why don't you go with the clan heads to talk to Miraiya about the intricacies of the sealing, and maybe meet Naruto for yourself. You can then form your own opinions afterwards. After all, we were taught to get all the facts before we come to a decision, should we not?"

Looking to each other, Homara and Koharu nodded in agreement with Hitomi's words. While they had their doubts, Kushina was a prime example of disproving that the Kyuubi could take over Naruto. Still, they had to be sure. "That sounds like a good idea, Hitomi." Voiced Homara.

"We may do just that." Koharu said in turn.

Nodding with a small smile, she watched as her former teammates left the room, hoping they would indeed follow her advice to meet young Naruto. Standing up, she began to leave her room to return to her office and begin her paperwork, when she looked back and noticed that Danza was still seated. Shaking her head, she continued to make her way towards the door until she was just about to reach the doorknob, when Hitomi spoke. "Will I be hearing that you visited the Senju compound later tonight, Danza? Or should I have my ANBU on standby should you try anything?"

Scoffing from her seat, Danza replied. "Please, Hitomi. While I may disagree with you in regards to how you will be handling the young Uzumaki, I know better than to question my Hokage."

"Pfft, that has never stopped you before Danza." Hitomi said sharply.

Danza ignored her words as she slowly rose and made her way to the door, before she too will stopped at the door. She turned her head to face Hitomi and said, "I will have other opportunities to get to know the boy. But for now, I have a meeting to prepare for tonight." At that, she excited the room.

Hitomi, knowing the underlying message of Danza "getting to know the boy" knew she had a lot more battles in store regarding Naruto. Shaking her head for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, she looked up at the ceiling and quietly mumbled, "I'm getting too old for this shit." She then made her way to her office before collapsing in her chair and taking in the sight of her stacks of paper work before she slammed her head against her desk, exhausted by the day's events. Her only comfort was that at least Tsunade and Miraiya would have to deal with a house full of clamoring clan heads, all eager to get into their good graces. And at that, she brought her head up with a smirk before she returned to her dreaded enemy, paperwork.

 ***Back at The Dango Shop***

We find ourselves at the end of Kumiko's explanation of the events of the Kyuubi attack and the events that followed. From the masked Kunoichi, to the sealing of the Kyuubi, and meeting Naruto with everything in between, not a single detail was left unspoken between the Ice Queens of Konoha. And much like herself when she first heard the story, all her friends were wiping away tears and attempting to recompose themselves. From little Hana to Kurenai, all in attendance were unprepared for the amount and weight of the information regarding the Kyuubi attack and its aftermath.

After what seemed like hours, Anko was the first to speak. "So, Kushina-Nee and Mina-Nee's son really holds…"

Nodding, Kumiko replied. "Yes." Cautiously looking at her friends, she asked. "Does that change your opinion on him? Knowing what he carries? Knowing who he is?"

It was quiet for a bit, and the silence wasn't comforting to Kumiko. Was she wrong in thinking that her friends wouldn't see Naruto as the Kyuubi? She was expecting the worst to come from their mouths when finally, Kurenai spoke out. "No way, Kumiko." At that, turned her attention to Kurenai, who continued. "I can't speak for the others, but I know the difference between a kunai and a sealing scroll. Just like Kushina-Nee wasn't the Kyuubi, I know her son won't be."

The way she spoke in confidence and the seeing the truth behind her words in her eyes, Kumiko sighed in relief. If all else failed, at least Kurenai understood. However, her hopes continued to rise as the others spoke out. "I agree with Kurenai-chan, sempai." Kumiko groaned internally at the "sempai" from Yugao, but allowed her to continue, as all attention was on her. "Kushina-Nee was always kind and caring. She always listened to our problems and gave us advice on our dealings as ninjas. From day to day, I watched and observed her, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she and the Kyuubi are two separate beings. And just because her son now holds the beast, doesn't mean he is it. The cages have changed, but the situation hasn't. Naruto is Naruto. Kyuubi is Kyuubi."

Nodding, Kumiko and the others turned their attention to Hana, who was sitting next to Yugao. Kumiko then asked. "What about you, Hana? What do you think?"

Shaking her head, Hana replied. "No. He isn't Kyuubi. I only knew Kushina-Nee for a short time, but I already knew that she wasn't the monster she carried. We were taught that Kyuubi is a fearsome creature, capable of great anger and destruction. And that was never Nee-chan. She was kind and loving and sweet. Except to Mina-Nee when she did something dumb and deserved it."

At that last comment, all the girls shared a good laughed before they turned their attention to the last member of their group, Anko. Noticing all eyes were on her, she shrugged. "Hey, I agree with the gaki."

"Hey!" Exclaimed said gaki, Hana.

"Ehh, it's what you are, runt. Anyway, just like you girls, I'm smart enough to know the difference between a tailed beast and their prison." Anko said as she munched down on another piece of dango.

Kurenai joked and said, "Wow. I never would have figured you had such intellect!"

"Mou," Anko said playfully. "Kure-chan is mean!"

Under the genjutsu, laughter could be heard from the girls as they were getting back into a better mood. Sure, the loss of their sister figures was still there, but they had their son to help look after.

It was at that thought that Kumiko offered a suggestion to her fellow ice queens. "Hey, Tsunade-Sama and Miraiya-Sama are moving into the Senju compound with Naruto and Shizune-san. You girls wanna' go and see if they need help? Maybe then we can have you girls meet Naruto?"

"Hell yeah!" Exclaimed the eager snake apprentice. At that, she quickly left her seat and made for the exit.

After a few seconds, Hana spoke out with a sweatdrop. "Does she even know where the Senju compound is?" She was met with a shaking heads from her seniors.

Sighing, Kumiko replied. "We better go after her."

The girls stood up after Kurenai released the genjutsu and Kumiko released the privacy jutsu before Yugao, Kurenai, and Kumiko left money on the table. Anko had already done so and Hana didn't have any due to her not being a kunoichi yet. Immediately, they quickly made their way out the shop and after their excited friend, whom they immediately found outside the store, bashfully admitting that she had no idea where she was going. All shaking their heads at her ridiculous actions, they calmly made their way towards the Senju compound after Kumiko's lead, unaware of the impending pandemonium that was already beginning to take place at the once quiet home.

 ***8:00 P.M at The Senju Compound***

Tsunade Senju-Namikaze, who mind you refused to drop her last name when she got married, was many things. She was beauty beyond recognition and understanding, a strong and clever kunoichi, and at times, loyal to a fault. However there was one thing she wasn't and that was patient. Tsunade was capable of great love and compassion, as evident in her love for wife Miraiya, her apprentice Shizune, her daughter Minako, her daughter-in-law Kushina, and even only if it had been a few days, her son/grandson Naruto was part of that love. However despite that love and compassion, Tsunade hated having her patience tested. And it was currently being tested, in her own home. Why?

Well, let's recap, shall we? After Miraiya had pulled herself out of the wall she was imbedded in and signed the paperwork regarding Naruto's adoption, she quickly caught up with her Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune at the compound. During the meeting of the clan heads and Kumiko informing her friends, the family spent their day picking out clothes for Naruto and furniture for around the house. After all, who wants to use furniture that hadn't been used in decades and there were no baby furnishings around the house for Naruto. After buying their new furniture, which consisted of new couches, beds, a new refrigerator, etcetera; and sealing them in scrolls, the dysfunctional family of four made their way back to the compound and after taking out the old furniture and burning them with a Katon jutsu, they family was about to settle in and make dinner when the doorbell rang.

At the gates, ringing the bell was none other than Asami Hyuga and her wife pregnant wife Hikari with a tray of Hikari's freshly made cinnamon buns. The Hyugas were invited in and Asami's had informed them of the clan head's meeting. They also, according to Asami, wished to welcome the Senju-Namikaze family to their home formally and meet young Naruto. Tsunade, knowing that this was simply a formality to try and get into her good graces, simply let it go and indulged the Hyuga head. After all, there was nothing wrong with gaining a few allies after being informed of Danza wanting to induct Naruto into ROOT. Upon entering the home, The Hyugas immediately made their way towards Naruto, who was in Miraiya's arms. Safe to say, The Hyugas shed tears and were smitten by the young blonde.

All in all, the night was going well and Tsunade was enjoying herself, along with Miraiya and Shizune, who was off to the side with Hikari playing with Naruto. That is, until the doorbell rang again. At the gate was the Uchiha head Fusako and her wife Mikoto. Fusako was holding a platter of Mikoto's tomato salad. Sighing, knowing that Fusako had the same intentions as the Hyugas, Tsunade once again let it go and let them in. Initially, Fusako and Asami were glaring daggers at each other, but were stopped by their respective wives. However, tension remained until like the Hyugas, the Uchihas met young Naruto, who also shed tears and were smitten by him.

This was a pattern that continued for the night as many of the other clan heads had arrived with their wives and a welcoming gift. There was Inori Yamanaka and her wife Izumi with a bouquet of a wide assortment of flowers from their flower shop. Then came, Shikari Nara and her wife Yoshino, with Shikari holding a complete shogi and chess set. She argued with Yoshino about what to get the Senju-Namikaze family and finally decided on a shogi and chess set, which Yoshino called stupid and Shikari with a simple rebuttal of "Troublesome."

Anyway, then came the Akamichis, Chomei and her wife Sana with a large platter of barbeque. You wouldn't be able to tell, but a few pieces were missing from the platter. When asked about it by her wife Sana, Chomei denied any involvement, though the slight barbeque sauce stains on her fingertips and lips said otherwise. The Akamichis were then followed by Shiina Aburame and her wife Yui with a platter of fried rice, courtesy of the barbeque restaurant owned by the Akamichis. It may have just been a take-out party platter, but no one could argue with how delicious Akamichi cooking was. Finally the last of the clan heads arrived, and simply brought… Well, herself. She told Tsunade she was simply there for Naruto and to discuss the possibility of forming a marriage contract with Naruto and her newborn daughter, Kyrinnia. _'Well, at least she's honest and upfront about the situation, unlike the rest of these clowns.'_ Thought Tsunade with a sweat drop.

Speaking of honest and upfront, next to arrive were Homara and Koharu. Just like Tsume, they were upfront with their reason for the visit, and that was to truly see if Naruto was the Kyuubi or not and to discuss the sealing with Miraiya. Though angered by the insinuation that her daughter's sealing abilities were subpar, she was placated by Miraiya, who informed her that they were simply afraid and did not understand the intricacies of the situation. At least they brought chocolate cake, and there definitely weren't remnants of a torn price tag on the bottom of the tray. Nope, none at all.

Finally to arrive were the Ice Queens of Konoha, as well as their trainee. Tsunade didn't mind them coming over, considering how close they were to Kushina and Minako and that unlike the clan heads, had no intentions other than meeting Naruto and wanting to keep him safe. She did mind the noise; however, when they like the clan heads saw Naruto. It wasn't the crying though, it was the squealing and constant giggling as they were playing with Naruto, and every smile he gave them made them squeal and giggle tenfold.

The once quiet home had become a symphony of various noises that were beginning to give Tsunade a headache. From the clan heads arguing of who gets the marriage contract with Naruto, to the giggling and squealing, and everything in between. And thus we find ourselves with a fuming Tsunade sitting on the dining chair watching the madness around her with a bottle of sake in her hand. At some point, she disregarding the serving dish and decided to drink straight from the bottle in an attempt to calm herself. And it seemed that the noises were about to reach their peak, when something unexpected happened.

Coming down the stairs were Koharu and Homara, followed by Miraiya. When they initially entered, the former teammates of the hokage were greeted with silence as the house fell silent. It didn't take a Torture and Interrogation member to know that Koharu and Homara were cautious of the young blonde newborn. Immediately, they requested an audience with Miraiya to learn about the sealing. That had been nearly two hours from when they entered the Senju household.

As they descended the stairs, all eyes were on turned towards the elders and silence permeated throughout the living room and dining room. The clan heads, Ice Queens, and Slug Sannin watched with bated breath as they made their way towards the Ice Queens and wives of the clan heads, who were playing with the young hero. After they had stopped in front of the Ice Queens and clan wives, Koharu and Homara turned towards Miraiya. From her position on the stairs, overlooking the entire bottom floor, the Toad mistress simply nodded. At that, Homara turned to face Kurenai, who was holding young Naruto. Homara then did something that shocked all in the room.

Holding her arms out, Homara asked, "May I see him?" Eyes of nearly everyone in the room widened to the size of dinner plates. Tsunade; however, believed it to be a trick in which Homara or Koharu would hold Naruto and feign joy and care, only to take a kunai and kill her son. Tsunade quickly stood up in an effort to make her way towards the elders, only to hear her wife call her.

"Tsunade, let them." Miraiya spoke in a rare tone of seriousness.

"But Miraiya!" Cried the blonde Sannin.

However, Miraiya simply shook her head. "Just look." At that, both Sannin turned their attention to the elders. Homara still had her arms out, and Kurenai was looking at her in hesitation, thinking similar thoughts to that of Tsunade. Still holding on to the blonde bundle of joy she had come to care about so quickly, Kurenai looked up to Miraiya for confirmation. Receiving a nod, Kurenai nodded back and slowly began to hold Naruto out to the elder kunoichi.

Breaths of almost all in the room were held as Naruto was held and cradled in Homara's arms. Naruto then looked up to the elder. He didn't know who this was. He saw many faces of many pretty ladies, including his parents/grandparents, but this older lady was new. As Homara held Naruto closer to her face to inspect Naruto, she didn't expect for Naruto to reach out with his hands and take her glasses. He then started giggling, although everyone in the room didn't. Was it a mistake for him to be with Homara? Would she react negatively to the action? Homara was still stunned from his action of taking her glasses, but what she was stunned more, was his giggling. When she raised her eyebrow, the giggling turned into full blown laughter. Hey, he's a baby. It doesn't take much to make him laugh.

And then, something else unexpected happened. Homara began to, chuckle? It was soft at first, but as our blonde haired hero continued to laugh, her chuckling turned to laughter as well. She gently pried her glasses out of Naruto's grip, and placed them back on, and began to make silly faces at Naruto, who laughed even harder. Shocked expressions took the faces of all in the room, except Miraiya, who was simply smirking, as if she knew that was going to happen.

Homara was so distracted by her playing with Naruto that she didn't feel Koharu tap on her shoulder until after a few attempts. Turning around, Homara faced her former teammate, who asked one word. "Well?"

Looking at her for a few seconds, Homara's mouth formed a soft smile, something only a rare few got to see. "We were wrong." She simply said as she then held Naruto out for Koharu to hold.

Hesitant, she reached her arms out and held Naruto close to her chest. She then brushed the back of her right index finger against his whisker marks, to which Naruto closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling and cooed. Eventually, Koharu had a soft smile on her face as she spoke. "How could we foolishly think you were a monster, young one?"

At that, all in the room holding their breaths, exhaled in relief and shook their heads in disbelief while some chucked, including Miraiya. Somehow, not even a year old, Naruto was able to convince two people, who strongly believed him to be the monster he held, that he indeed was not. This brought smile to many in the room, including a still shocked Tsunade, who was being held by a chuckling Miraiya from behind.

"I can't believe it…" The blonde Sannin said.

"It's right in front of you, Hime." Said Miraiya as she kissed the top of Tsunade's head. "If this isn't proof that he's going to change the world, I don't know what is."

As the Sannin duo looked on as Koharu continued to play with Naruto, the room devolved into idle chatter as the clan heads one by one, approached the elders. Watching from a distance; however, was Kumiko Hatake. She was leaving for her meeting with Danza. As she turned back to take in the scene around her, all the joy and peace that she hoped would never end, she knew better. This was a world full of pain and sorrow; however, she would happily charge into all of it, if she could come home to moments such as these. Where people would put aside their beliefs in an effort to learn and get along. She left, attracting no attention as she made her way towards the Hokage Monument, where she would begin her life as a double agent for her Hokage.

Speaking of the Hokage, Hitomi was looking out the window of her village. She had finally finished her dreaded paperwork and was smoking from her pipe, contemplating the day that had passed. She then recalled her mission for Kumiko, her meeting with the clan heads and elders, and of course her surrogate grandson, Naruto. Shaking her head, she couldn't believe how interesting things had happened only within the two days following the Kyuubi attack on the village. She then chucked to herself, before thinking aloud. "Not even a week old, and already you're making waves, Naru-chan. I wonder how much more you'll be making in the coming years."

If she were to have her window open, Hitomi would have heard the wind blowing, carrying what sounded like laughter. And indeed, someone was laughing. Up in heaven, Kami was giggling like a little schoolgirl, knowing just how true The Goddess of Kunoichi's words were.

Back in Konoha, inside the Senju compound, Naruto sneezed. Tsunade, who was holding on to Naruto after everyone had left, wiped his nose with a tissue. "Looks like someone is thinking of you, Naru-chan." She truly also had no idea just how true her words were.

 **End of Chapter 3**

 **Dream Legion – Lol. True, but then again, isn't that many Fanfics of Naruto in a Kunoichi world?**

 **Kreceir / BlankCode – Ah, yes. The shadow clone trope. Well, you'll be happy to know that I will… Actually, I'll keep that a secret. You're just gonna have to keep reading to find out! Yes. I am that evil! Mwahahahaahahaha! D**

 **McRasengan – Thank you. I believe it has potential as well. Hopefully I'll be able to bring it out. Here's hoping.**

 **Samuraikeichii – Thank you. And don't worry about that. This project will take the brunt of my time. I won't be taking anymore till I'm at a good pace with this one.**

 **Demon Shadow 16 – I hope so too. However, with my work schedule, I won't be updating as I would have initially liked, but I know I'll always find time to write. And I find it sad that indeed, many stories are forgotten or incomplete. One of them is** **Assassin in a Kunoichi World** **by BookishTen8** **. I was so into it, but it sadly stopped. :'(**

*Note: I'm back, folks! I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update, but I assure you. I have not stopped working on this story. In fact, this chapter was probably the hardest I have worked on so far, simply due to expansion of story and such. But, details shmetails. I'm back and that is all that matters. Holy crap! 91 followers, 70 favorites, 8 reviews, and a total of 1,655 views. Thank you guys so much for the support. I truly did not expect the attention it is getting. You guys are awesome! Anyways, updates. Again, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update, but my schedule at work has been nothing but crazy. Not to mention some family drama that kinda killed my writing vibe. However, I'm back and better than ever. In fact, you can tell by this chapter. Almost 12,000 words! Holy jeebus. Well, I just wanted to let you guys know why I haven't updated recently, but I also wanted you to know that THIS IS NOT ABANDONED! I'm still writing. Hey, I'm here aren't I? Anywho, if you have any questions, or you have any input you wanna give, feel free to send me a message or review. I won't be working on any other projects until I get a firm foothold on this story, which won't be for a while. Speaking of, next chapter! Oh boy. We finally get to see Naruto growing up. It'll be going through him during important events. Because this is a fanfiction, I can play with canon a bit. Oh, I love that. Hehehehe. Anyway, I will be changing some events slightly, while others will be drastic. Hopefully you'll enjoy my take on the Narutoverse. So, stay tuned for the next chapter of **"Of Ninjas and Assassins."** Next chapter, Naruto grows up and finds his life is rather, weird. Also, he gets to meet a certain vixen sealed in his belly and learns a lot of things he never knew. Oops, as Dr. River Song would put it, spoilers. Well, 'till next time folks, which I hope is soon. This is Twix, signing off!

-Twix671


End file.
